The Law for the Wolves
by Sylindara
Summary: One thing Keith wasn't expecting when he took on the mantle of the Leader of Voltron was for the entire universe to have an opinion on his personal life. It didn't help that he himself wasn't sure what James meant to him. Or what he meant to James. [James/Keith] Also featuring lots of Kosmo who also isn't in the Character List.
1. Featuring Hunk, Shay and the Olkari

**AN:** I had actually forgotten it's James/Keith week so I had to rush to get this first chapter out this week. The fic is done, but I'm still editing and not going to be able to post the whole thing before James/Keith week ends. Which is fine, because it's not written for James/Keith week, I just wanted to post the first chapter during it to celebrate.

* * *

 _For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack._

* * *

Unsurprisingly, it was Hunk who brought it up first.

Ever since Keith reached out to Hunk and helped him sneak out of the Garrison stronghold to look for his parents, Hunk's overbearing presumptuousness had - and Keith wasn't even aware this was possible - gotten even worse. Maybe Hunk thought their little heart-to-heart was permission for him to dig into Keith's business at every opportunity, and while Keith would never regret doing what he could for Hunk - because if anyone deserved it, it was Hunk - he did wish that there was still a bit of reticence in their relationship. Just a bit. Just so Hunk wouldn't ask him things like:

"So what's up with you and James?"

Feeling like he was sticking his hand in a trap, Keith said slowly, "What do you mean, what's up with us?"

The trap sprung; a suggestive smirk spread across Hunk's face. "Uh, all the Significant Looks you guys have been having at every opportunity? You're not exactly subtle."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Keith retorted, feeling like he was on the defensive even though there was nothing to be defensive about. It was all Hunk's fault for using that tone of voice; Keith could _hear_ the capital letters in 'Significant Looks'.

Hunk looked at him, eyes half-lidded with scepticism, then turned to where Shay was standing next to them, carefully sifting through the basket of alien vegetation cradled in her arm. "Shay, what do you think?"

Shay blinked, glancing up. "Might you be referring to the one that is looking in this direction with a meaningful gaze?"

"Wait- what?" Keith looked around them before he was fully aware he was doing so, catching James's eyes from where he was lingering in the doorway of the Garrison building at the edge of the field they were in. Now that Hunk had brought it up, Keith was acutely aware of how he was staring at James and how James was staring back. Forcing himself to break the standoff, Keith turned back to find Hunk and Shay both staring at him with obnoxiously knowing looks. "What!"

"Mister Hand is being idle," was all Hunk said, the small plastic trowel in his hand coming dangerously close to rapping the knuckles Keith had wrapped around his basket. The eyebrow he raised at Keith already said everything he wanted to say.

Keith turned back to the doorway to find it empty. Hunching his shoulders as he looked down at the basket, Keith gave the contents a sullen stir.

Perhaps realising that the conversation was actually making Keith uncomfortable, Hunk sighed and said, "Look, it doesn't really matter what's between the two of you, but you're wearing that constipated look you get when you're bottling stuff up and I just think you should talk to him, okay? Air it all out. It'll do you both good and it's gotta be more satisfying than just staring at each other all the time."

"If you have words you wish to say to that one then you should speak it," Shay added firmly, one dirt-smudged claw patting at Keith's forearm and leaving streaks of brown against his skin. "I would not wish for you to have regrets."

Keith sighed too. "I don't know, okay? I don't know what you think is between the two of us and I don't know what I'm supposed to be saying to him. He just...looks at me all the time and...I don't know!"

"Well, let's start from the beginning," Hunk said reasonably. "Why is he's looking at you all the time, and why do you look at him back?"

Keith shrugged, keeping his attention on the basket. "I don't know why he looks at me, maybe he's the one with something to say. ...I guess that's what I've been waiting for. For him to say whatever it is he wants to say."

"Perhaps it will be easier if you _ask_ what that one wishes to say to you," Shay offered gently, far too nice to point out how obvious her suggestion was.

Keith scowled. "Why do I have to do all the work? If he has something to say, he can just say it. It's not like he's ever had trouble speaking his mind before."

"Wait, you know him?" Hunk blinked.

Keith blinked back at him. "You don't know James?"

"Well, yeah, I know James," Hunk spluttered. "But I didn't realise you knew him! You act like you didn't know anyone from the Garrison!"

"Oh, you might not have heard…" Keith looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. "I knew James from before the Garrison. And we kind of had a fight not long after we joined. James always had a big mouth."

Hunk gasped dramatically. "Wait, James was the kid you punched!?"

Keith stared, dumbfounded. "You knew about me punching a kid but not that it was James?"

"Look, it was the first time I saw violence up close, okay? It was really traumatic! I didn't realise it's the same guy!"

"I just punched him," Keith said sulkily. "It wasn't that violent. Wait, you were there?"

Hunk ignored Keith's inadvertent admission that Hunk was one of those he had forgotten with ease. "Man, I can't believe that kid was James. Wow, no wonder you guys stare at each other all the time, you have a Past. Maybe he wants to apologise for that."

"That was years ago." Keith snorted. "He's probably forgotten all about it. I don't know what problem he has with me now, and I don't care."

Shaking her head at their foolishness, Shay went back to sifting through her basket, picking out the leaves that were too ripe and no longer safe for human consumption. "If you had a Balmera you would not forget such simple details of the past. The Balmera knows. The Balmera would remember."

"Yeah…" Hunk said slowly, "that sure would make things simpler, I guess." But his eyes were staring at Keith with the panic of a man who had just learned that everything he had ever said to 'A Rock He Admires Very Much' on her home planet had been recorded and remembered by the god-analogy of her people.

"Whatever." Keith felt absolutely no guilt in leaving Hunk hanging and peeked over at the doorway again, even though he knew James had left and there was no point.

"Do you not wish to speak to that one?" A small frown settled on Shay's face. "If that one is making you uncomfortable…"

"Is someone making trouble for you, Paladin?" La-sai butted in out of nowhere, having apparently made his way over while they were talking. "I know these are your people, and I would not dream of presuming, but if anyone tries to pick a fight with you, just let me know!" He stared fiercely in the direction of the doorway, reminding Keith of his bravery standing up against what had once been his King.

La-sai wasn't the only one; the other Olkari, who had been spread throughout the field checking that the alien vegetation was growing properly on Earth soil, were all making their way over, faces set in determined frowns reminiscent of when they were fighting the Galra together.

Feeling like he was unwittingly sentencing James to the terrible fate of being put on the intergalactic blacklist, Keith hastily said, "No, nothing like that! It's just between the two of us, okay? It's not a big deal."

The growing crowd of Olkari did not look convinced.

Perhaps feeling responsible for the misunderstanding, Hunk came to his rescue. "Calm down, guys, it's okay, it's the _other_ kind of trouble." He made an incomprehensible gesture with his hands and the trowel and suddenly the glares on everyone's faces melted away into scorching pity.

"What did you just tell them?" Keith whirled on Hunk, a little wild-eyed.

Hunk shrugged. "It's either admitting that you're having Unresolved Sexual Tension with James or continue the misconception that you two are having a fight. I figured the first one is less likely to end up with him in the hospital. And a bunch of aliens in it with him."

"We don't have sexual tension!" Keith turned to the Olkari starting to disperse. "We don't!"

"Uh-huh," said Hunk. "You forgot I was there when we were sneaking out of the Garrison and James and Veronica came to give us a hand." It seemed Keith just couldn't convince anyone today.

"If you say so, Paladin," La-sai said grudgingly. "But if he tries anything, just let us know. I do not know what rank he holds in your organisation, but he cannot win against the combined might of the Voltron Coalition."

"No, leave him alone!" Keith snapped, exasperated. He did not want to try explaining to the Garrison top brass why James was being harassed by aliens. He wanted to explain to Shiro even less. "He hasn't done anything."

The Olkari stopped dispersing, looking at him with wide eyes. The same wide eyes as Hunk and Shay.

Keith focused on his basket again, weighed down by their stares. "He hasn't done anything. Just leave him alone."

He could see La-sai squinting at him out of the corner of his eye, muttering under his breath, "Oh no, this is just like one of Lubos's _soaps_..."

It might very well had been the most insulting thing anyone had ever said about Keith, and he used to live in a group home. " _Excuse_ me!?"

La-sai was undeterred by Keith's glare. "Are you sure you two are not locked in a passionate forbidden love?" he asked in a put-upon voice. "Although I cannot imagine why he would be forbidden to a Paladin of Voltron. Is he already spoken for? Does he have another paramour? Is he stringing you along?"

The Olkari still crowding around them gave a scandalous gasp in unison. Keith hung on to his patience by a thread and reminded himself that he was, regrettably, the Black Paladin now and that meant he couldn't throw a temper tantrum because the Olkari thought he was having an affair. The snorts of laughter coming from Hunk definitely did not help.

Finally choking back his mirth, Hunk wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and said, "Okay, guys, that's enough. Poor Keith is going to get an ulcer at this point. He's not up to anything with James... _yet_." A sly look was sent Keith's way; he pretended not to see it. "And it will be up to Keith to decide whether he wants to do something about whatever's between them or not. It really isn't anything you guys need to worry about, sorry for disturbing everyone."

"Oh, young love," one of the Olkari who had yet to return to their patch of the field sighed softly into her clasped hands.

Keith had finally had enough. "Look, can we just go back to checking this field? We need to finish harvesting this week if we want to get the report to the Global Food and Agriculture Organisation in before the deadline and there's still so much to go through." He waved at the other three fields surrounding the one they were in, only two of which had actually completed the harvesting process. "If we want to prove the viability of Earth-grown Olkari plants, we need to be able to make our case properly. _On time._ "

It seemed to do the trick, the remaining Olkari wandering back to their posts now that the spectacle was over. La-sai gave Keith a firm nod, one that Keith returned hesitantly hoping it didn't mean James was going to get jumped by overzealous Coalition members after all, before leaving as well.

Keith released a deep sigh once it was just him, Hunk, and Shay again, slumping down until he was resting on his heels and hanging his head tiredly between his shoulders.

"If you had talked to him and worked out what's going on between the two of you, you'd have known what to say just now," Hunk pointed out, his tone gentle and without the light teasing it held before.

"You will feel better if you tell that one your feelings and know of the feelings of that one in turn," Shay added.

Luckily, Hunk's family arrived just then, sweeping up not just Hunk and Shay, but Keith too, in a tidal wave of warmth and kindness and pointed questions about whether they were eating enough.

The two kids, finally found after so long with seemingly no ill effects from their time under Galra occupation – none worse than usual at any rate, bounced between excitedly updating Shay on their day and introducing themselves to the Olkari they hadn't already met.

It was heartwarming to see the soft look on Hunk's face as he watched his reunited family. And a relief too, because it put an end to the topic. It meant Keith didn't have to try to explain that he didn't know what his feelings for James were in the first place.

He stared because James was no longer the boy he had been, and neither was Keith. He hadn't thought there was any more meaning than that. But Hunk seemed so sure it did mean something.

Keith just wasn't sure he wanted it to.

* * *

James wasn't a man prone to self-reflection, but he would like to think he was mature enough now to know his own faults. He was a jealous man, always too concerned with other people when he should have been more concerned with himself. He had been trying to overcome that - one of the few ways in which he was thankful to the Galra, because there was no room for envy when you're trying to stay alive - but the war was over, peace was here, and at the end of the day, James was a weak man.

He was also a man at the end of his rope, because he had been looking for Keith's stupid wolf ever since he saw its capabilities and he still hadn't seen hair nor hide of it unless it was by Keith's side. Which defeated the whole point of James finding it on its own and luring it away with bribes. James sighed and gave the chew toy in his hand a gloomy squeeze.

 _One more corridor,_ he told himself, marching down a hallway near the Paladins' quarters on the Atlas. _One more then I'll give up for today._

Later, he would commend himself for not quitting there. But at the time, James was too busy being in shock at the sight of Commander Iverson down on his knees at the door to Keith's suite as he cooed over the same blasted wolf James had been trying to find for weeks.

Before he got the chance to pull himself together, Iverson turned in his direction and glared up at him from the floor of the corridor. "And what are you looking at, Griffon?"

"Uh, um, I didn't know you guys were such good friends," James said weakly, trying to prod his brain cells back into working order. His jealousy was trucking along just fine though; his stomach roiled at the thought that not only did Keith now have a giant space wolf that teleports, it was friends with _Iverson_ when James couldn't even find the damn thing.

"He's a good boy." Iverson harrumphed, turning back to the wolf. "Yes, you are, you know you're a good boy, don't you? Such a good boy waiting for your master here and not stepping into that muddy field and making him clean up after you. Good boy!"

James watched Iverson coo over the four foot tall menace for a moment, then forced himself to approach. He had already wasted _hours_ today looking for him, there was no way he was going to let this chance slip away.

Crouching down a small distance away, James reached out hesitantly with the chew toy and gave it a light squeeze, waving it in the general direction of the wolf.

"What are you doing?" Iverson asked flatly.

James shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Just introducing myself."

Iverson rolled his one eye, more exasperation packed into that single movement than most people could manage with two. "He's a bit thick, but he means well," Iverson told the wolf, as if James was not kneeling right there next to them. "He's not a bad kid. Wanna give him a chance?"

James held his breath as the wolf turned his muzzle from Iverson to him. It felt like he was being measured, and James hated the idea that he might be found wanting. But the wolf seemed to be satisfied with what he saw; he reached forward and gently picked up the toy with his mouth.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Iverson said. "Relax. You are stressing _him_ out stressing out so much."

It was automatic by this point to follow Iverson's orders, and James found himself releasing the breath he hadn't even realised he was holding. Watching the wolf gnaw delicately on the toy, James was surprised to feel a tendril of warmth at the sight.

"I didn't know you liked dogs," said Iverson, syncing up unknowingly with James's thoughts.

James shrugged again. "It's a wolf, sir. A bit different from a dog." That wasn't a real answer. But the real answer was that James was a jealous man. Because Keith left the Garrison before James ever came close to beating him, and then he came back with a team of giant robot lions that transformed into an even bigger giant robot, a teleporting space wolf, and a maturity made all the weirder by the fact that he was apparently younger than James now. Because if James couldn't have Keith - and how could he even think of having Keith, Black Paladin, Leader of Voltron, Blade of Marmora, titles that James didn't even know the meaning of - then he might as well go after his wolf.

The wolf glanced up from the toy and gave a small 'wuff' as if saying he approved. Maybe this could work. Maybe the wolf would take him teleporting someday the way he did with Keith. It would probably be the closest James ever got to him.

* * *

 **AN:** The Global Food and Agriculture Organisation, also known as Geefao. I didn't want to use real world organisations, especially since the world of Voltron takes place after WWIII, so this was the compromise.

Coming up next: Featuring Pidge, Ryner and the Mers (with Sam)


	2. Featuring Pidge, Ryner and the Mers

**A/N:** I was going to post tomorrow but I got some really nice responses to the last chapter (thank you 3) and will be busy all day tomorrow because of a Marvel Marathon so I'm posting early.

* * *

The problem with having Hunk on your case was that he was an incorrigible gossip, so Keith had been waiting on tetherhooks for the other shoe to drop ever since their talk. Just not from such an unexpected source. Not from _Ryner_ of all people looking at him with kind eyes as she said, "I hope my people haven't been giving you too much trouble. I have done my best to stamp out the gossip, but some of them are a nosy bunch and everyone feels indebted to the Paladins of Voltron."

"Wait, what gossip?" Pidge swung her head away from the screen in her hands, zeroing in on Ryner and Keith with terrifying intensity.

Honestly, Keith had been expecting _Pidge_ to be the one to bring it up, just because she and Hunk were so close. "Hunk didn't tell you already?"

"It surprises me as much as it might surprise you," Pidge retorted, "but Hunk actually does have some discretion. There's definitely been something on his mind the past few days, but he keeps saying it's your business and you need to deal with it yourself. Which just makes me MORE curious not less, but putting that aside, I'm right in assuming this 'gossip' is about the same thing?"

"Oh, I didn't realise it was such a personal matter," Ryner said in a slightly worried tone. "I had been under the impression that this problem was already common knowledge amongst you, that Hunk would speak of it so freely out in the open."

"WHAT PROBLEM?" Pidge flung her arms out in exasperation. "Nothing makes me want to know something more than trying to keep it a secret!"

"It's not a problem," Keith snarled back. "And, yes, it IS personal so can we just stop talking about it?"

Pidge grumbled, but relented. "Fine." She peeked at him from under her bangs. "But you will tell me if it becomes a problem, right? You know I'm here for you, right?"

Keith could feel his anger melt away. "I know, I appreciate that. But it's fine. It's just James. I don't know why everyone's trying to make it a big deal."

"Wait." Pidge narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Is this about the staring contest you have with him every time you guys are within a dozen feet of each other?"

"No...I don't-"

"Oooh, did I guess right about your human mating rituals?" Blumfump rose out of the depths like a B-movie monster, flopping the upper half of his body over the edge of the floating platform Keith, Pidge, and Ryner were standing on. It was made all the worse by how he was still wearing a jellyfish on his head, even though according to Lance it wasn't necessary anymore. Keith didn't really know the full details, but none of the other Mers were wearing any jellyfish except Blumfump and Swirn, so he'd decided to just accept it as a weird Blumfump and Swirn thing. There were plenty of them. "My theory was that the staring was how you humans indicate sexual interest, but Swirn kept saying it's a territorial dispute. Am I right? I knew I was right. You're the Black Paladin! Who would try to dispute _your_ territory?"

Keith spluttered, wishing - not for the first time - that he only had to deal with the fighting bits as the Black Paladin and Shiro could take care of everything else.

"Okay, let's nip this in the bud before we get a universe-sized misunderstanding of human behaviour," Pidge said authoritatively, putting the screen aside and joining them at the edge of the platform. "First of all, human mating rituals are many and varied, staring contests only happen between a very small percentage of us. Staring contests as territorial disputes probably even less. Second of all, Keith being Keith, the answer probably isn't as simple as mating ritual OR territorial dispute." She whirled on Keith. "Don't think I'm saying this as a compliment; I just meant that if it's something that simple you'd have already done something about it. And third of all, this kind of thing is pretty private for us humans, so, uh, please don't spread rumours?" This was said with a glance towards Ryner, aiming the entreaty at them both.

"Of course," Ryner said firmly. "I will curb those who I know have been making unfounded speculations. I'm sorry for any trouble they may have caused; they truly don't mean anything by it. I think we all underestimated how private it is for humans."

"Yeah," Blumfump interjected. "The two of you stare at each other so obviously in every public occasion we've seen you in. Are you sure you are trying to keep this private?"

"Well, they do have a point." Pidge shrugged at Keith. "If all the Olkari and Mers are noticing it, it's pretty hard to keep calling it private." Turning back to Ryner and Blumfump, she continued, "But in this case, we humans usually try to pretend we didn't notice because that's the polite thing to do."

"We are not trying to keep this private," Keith said through gritted teeth, "because there is nothing to keep private about. There is nothing going on between us."

All three of them squinted at Keith with disbelieving eyes. It felt like he had been doing nothing but refraining from violence recently.

"Are you sure?" Blumfump had the temerity to ask.

Ryner, too, was looking at him strangely. "I would not dream of refuting you, Keith, I'm sure you know human behaviour better than us, but I must ask you as well if you are sure that your young man - James, I believe he is called? - does not have feelings for you."

"You know me, Keith, emotions aren't something I'm good with," Pidge added brusquely, adjusting her glasses with a frown. "But even I can see there is something going on between the two of you. And I know you, Keith, I know you haven't talked to him about this, and...I think you should."

It was the sensible thing to do. It was what Shay had told him to do as well. But Keith had never been good at opening himself to others. There was too much history between him and James, too much pride. It was as he had told Shay, "Why should I have to be the one to bring it up? If he has something to say, then he can say it."

"Ah." Blumfump nodded sagely. "You're waiting for his courtship display! Is there some sexual dimorphism between you that dictates he should be the one to initiate? Or is it more complicated?"

"We are the same gender," Keith told him because this was one misunderstanding he _definitely_ didn't want spread. "And I'm not initiating because I don't have anything to say to him."

Blumfump shrugged. "Mer-science is an imprecise art." He waved one of his secondary arms...tentacles...limbs...to something behind Keith's back. "Swirn! I told you! I was right! It IS a mating ritual!"

"No! I just said-"

"Just for the two of them though!" Blumfump continued blithely, talking right over Keith's rebuttal. "It's not a common human mating ritual, limited to just the two of them because they don't seem to communicate with speech very much."

His shouting quieted as he spoke and Keith turned with dread weighing heavily on him to see Swirn towing the platform with the rest of Pidge's family towards them, and Luxia swimming beside her regally.

'What's all this about Keith's mating rituals?" Matt asked pruriently, eyes bouncing from Pidge to Keith then back again.

Once again feeling like everything was spinning out of his control, Keith was quick to butt in. "We're not here to gossip, guys. We need to get these seaweed cameras set up ASAP. There's still the possibility that the dredging team didn't find all the pieces of the creature we fought. We need those cameras down there in case anything happens."

Like last time, the reminder of what they're really there for was enough to quiet everyone down, though Keith could see Colleen whispering to Pidge out of the corner of his eye with Sam standing next to them nodding intensely.

Heightening his paranoia, Matt sidled up to Keith's side with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "You know, I still say we should call them kelp cams. It just rolls off the tongue so well, don't you think?"

The relief that Matt didn't seem to want to bring up James was overwhelming. Keith seized on the change of topic eagerly. "You'll have to fight them for the honour." He nodded at the Mers. "I think they want to call them Mer-grass Cams? And then there's the Garrison scientists who want something with a pun in it, and the Garrison top brass who want something they can say with a straight face, and the PR team who want something catchy they can market…"

Matt made a face. "I'm sorry I asked."

Keith heaved a sigh. "And for some reason I had to listen to ALL of them talk at me about it. For _hours_. By this point, I'm tempted to pull a Galra and tell them to sort it out through ritual combat."

"Well, you _are_ the Black Paladin," Pidge pointed out, coming up to them. "You have to be a part of this process now, and they have to listen to you."

"Ugh," Keith groaned. "But Shiro's always there too, actually listening to them and acting like he cares who names these cameras what. I can't pull ritual combat on HIM."

"Whatever name is chosen for these devices, at least they are all in place now." Ryner waved the portable screen Pidge had been looking through at them, flicking through the different camera angles as they all crowded around her.

"Those are the perimeter cams, facing out from the area where the creature was found; and those are the _other_ perimeter cams, the ones facing inward in case the creature left behind any nasty surprises." Swirn pointed at the screen as she explained each shot as it came up. "And THAT'S...the delightful sea creature living in the area that looks just like a jellyfish! Oh, it seems to think the mer-grass is part of its meal. Oh, it's actually eating it."

They waited with bated breath to see if the defences woven into the mer-grass would work. Not a moment later, the actually-a-jellyfish that had been nibbling at one of the fronds gave a violent shake and sped away.

Colleen sighed in relief. "It looks like the self-defence zapper is working just fine. And without harming the jellyfish either. The images are coming through nice and clear as well; I'd say this is a success, everyone."

Even Keith couldn't help but smile back at everyone with the proof of their accomplishments on screen in front of them.

"I must say," Luxia said with a satisfied huff, "I wasn't convinced it could really work at first. I do not doubt the Olkari's magnificent feats of engineering, but incorporating those cameras into our hardy mer-grass just seemed too difficult to achieve."

"And yet, we've done it." Sam smirked. "And we couldn't have done it without all of you." He stretched out an arm to not just the three Mers hanging on to the edge of the platform, but the other Mers involved in the project, who had spread out further away so as to not tip over the platforms and had been talking amongst themselves while waiting for the verdict.

"It was a wonderful challenge," said Ryner, "and I speak for all the Olkari involved when I say that I am grateful for this chance to work on such a stimulating project."

"And I speak for all Mers when I say that we are just as grateful for this honour," Luxia replied just as graciously.

News seemed to have reached the surrounding Mers as well, all of them starting to cheer and clap, and several even doing tricks in the water.

Keith forced himself to smile, nodding at the cheering Mers. "Thank you for your hard work."

It was a paltry acknowledgement for all they had accomplished, but the Mers cheered harder anyway. It was another weight on his shoulders, more expectation he was still not sure he could live up to. But he was the Black Paladin now, with all that entails; including, apparently, everyone butting into his business.

Keith found himself unable to shake the gloom that had fallen over him despite the success of their project. He was too quiet, it wasn't seemly, but he couldn't muster up more than one syllable responses as the Mers slowly towed the floating platforms back to the Garrison ship anchored a safe distance away.

Noticing his mood, the others left him alone until it was just Pidge sitting cross-legged beside him at the very back of their platform. "Ryner's promised to make the Olkari stop gossiping, and Blumfump and Swirn have decided that their bet is a tie and are dropping it, so why the long face?"

Reluctantly, unable to look her in the eyes, Keith asked, "Does everyone really think there's something between us?"

He could see her raising a eyebrow out of the corner of his eye. "After all this, you still need to ask?"

Keith sighed, chin dropping down to his chest. "It's a bunch of aliens whose main exposure to human behaviour amounts to five people. What if they're wrong about James?"

A weird look passed over Pidge's face. One so indescribable, Keith found himself looking at her without meaning to. "Just James, not you?"

That wasn't the part he wanted her to concentrate on, but- "Yeah, I guess. I _have_ been thinking about it," he admitted. "Ever since Hunk pointed it out. I can't help but think about it every time I see him and...he's changed in so many ways. I can't look away, and maybe that does mean I'm interested in him, but I've always been the kid showing him up. I don't...think he feels that way about me. The staring is just because I'm a part of Voltron and Sam's been spreading stories about us."

"But how do you know that's what's going on if you've never talked to him about it?" Pidge asked reasonably, the exasperation just barely tamped down in her voice.

"He's always looked at me like that," said Keith, feeling like he was imparting some deep secret.

The weird look returned to Pidge's face, and she took a deep breath before saying, "Look, Keith, I'm not going to pretend I know what's between the two of you; I never knew you guys at the Garrison. But…" She turned her gaze to the front of the platform, where her family stood chatting with Ryner and Luxia as Blumfump and Swirn towed them back to the ship. "I meant what I said. You should talk to him. When I thought Matt was dead, I realised...there was still so much I wanted to say to him, so much I wanted to show him but he wouldn't be there anymore. I never want to feel that again. But we're the Paladins of Voltron, we can't promise that, can we? Matt can't promise that either. And neither can James. We need to say the things we want to say while we can still say them."

It felt like he had been bestowed an honour, given a glimpse into Pidge's vulnerabilities when she was the most defensive out of all of them. Keith followed her gaze to her family, where Colleen was teasing Matt about his new hairstyle, and Keith could just pick out him saying in defence, "Think of it as a trade! An equivalent exchange! Pidge stole my haircut, so it's only fair I take her old one!"

Pidge snorted. "He can keep that. Long hair is nice and all, but this style is so much easier to take care of."

Despite the indifferent front she was putting up, Keith could hear the affection in her voice. Keeping his gaze in front of him, Keith tried to respond just as frankly as she had. "Maybe I'll talk to him. I'll think about it."

* * *

James peeked around the doorway stealthily, not letting himself breathe until he was sure there was no one in the room. No one except the wolf he was looking for.

Sprawled on top of three beanbags in the corner of the Level 5 rec room - the one right next to the Paladins' quarters on the Atlas, Keith's wolf raised his head lazily at James's approach, then dropped back down with a quiet whine.

"Sorry, buddy," James said just as quietly, slumping down onto the floor next to him and holding out a new chew toy for the wolf to sniff. "You still alarm some of the Mers so Keith can't take you with him, but he'll be back very soon."

The wolf whined again. But willingly sniffed the toy James was holding out and gently took it between his jaws.

Watching him chew on the fake bone, James allowed himself a moment of pride that the wolf had yet to reject any of the chew toys he had given him, then slowly placed his now free hand on the wolf's head. The wolf looked at him, then went back to the toy. James swallowed a sigh of relief and started petting the soft fur slowly and steadily.

"So that's where you were. Keith was looking for you, you know." Sam's cheerful voice broke James out of a trance he hadn't realised he'd fallen into.

"Commander!" James jerked away even though he had nothing to feel guilty about, or so he tried to tell himself.

"Oops, didn't mean to interrupt you," Sam said, still in that intensely upbeat tone. "You two are getting along well."

James blushed. "He's a good boy," he mumbled, copying Iverson's words.

"I am sure he is," Sam said, but his eyes were drilling into James as if he could see into his soul. "But not many people are willing to approach a cosmic wolf."

James rolled his eyes. "Is this about that story that Altean, Coran, told? He was obviously just trying to freak people out. I saw him teleport with Keith once, but he's never done it with anyone else." He couldn't quite keep the resentment out of his voice, and a quick peek at Sam showed he noticed.

"You want to teleport with a cosmic wolf?" Sam raised an eyebrow, as if there was something dubious about the claim.

"What's wrong with that?" James was aware of how defensive he was sounding, to a superior officer no less, but he wasn't quite sure how to stop. "It looked fun. He's Keith's wolf; he's not gonna hurt people."

Sam was still looking at them consideringly; something in his gaze made James want to squirm. "I suggest you talk to Keith then. Much easier than sneaking behind his back and buttering up his wolf."

James's blush deepened. Sam was right. It was the right thing to do. But James couldn't bring himself to. Not yet. "Maybe," he said reluctantly. "I'll think about it."

* * *

 **A/N:** At some point this happened:

Hunk: Is all this prying revenge for when I thought you were your own girlfriend?

Pidge, making her glasses shine like an anime character: Now why would you think that?

Coming up next: Featuring Lance, Plaxum and the Arusians (with Veronica)


	3. Featuring Lance, Plaxum and the Arusians

**AN:** As always, thanks to everyone for all the great responses! Next chapter may have a longer gap because I'm swamped with RL this weekend, unless I get the time to upload on Friday.

* * *

Keith grunted as he gave the cow he had been put in charge of another push, the hovering platform it was standing on inching forward across the field. Keith looked around at the over-a-dozen cows milling around the area and despaired. "Shouldn't we be getting actual farmers to deal with these?"

Klaizap, who had been industrially pushing his own cow next to Keith, gave him a bright smile incongruous with the visible effort he was putting into his exertions. "Leave this to us! It is our honour to help the Voltron Goddess however we can!"

"It is our honour," the other Arusians, each with their own cow and hover platform, echoed respectfully.

Keith sighed. It wasn't that he didn't understand the reason for this assignment; the Arusians were so small and technologically behind, if they wanted to give them something to do then having them herd the cows recovered from the Space Mall's Earth shop was pretty much all there was. And not giving them something to do was not an option, not when Allura was so adamant about their status as the first planet in the Voltron Coalition. And because Keith was the Black Paladin now, it apparently meant he had to do all the dirty jobs like babysitting the Arusians while they wrangled the cows from the newly erected spaceport to the piece of land set aside for them by the Garrison.

"We're almost there," a female Arusian, Moontow - the dancer one - Keith's memories reminded him, said comfortingly from Keith's other side.

Keith gritted his teeth and gave another push. He hadn't sunk so low he needed them to pity him. But she was right, they were just cresting the final hill that bordered the farmland staked out for the cows, and Keith could already see the dark blob that was Lance and his family as they loitered next to the deep river cutting along the edge of the plot.

He made sure to unload his cow from the platform first, checking that it was none the worse for wear from the journey - not that Keith knew what to look for, but it was mooing contently as it leaned down to munch on some grass so it was _probably_ okay. And then hastily made his way over to Lance.

"I think that's the last of them," Keith said tiredly the moment he was close enough, noticing too late that Lance was crouched at the edge of the river talking to a Mer draped along the bank - Plaxum, Lance had introduced her as, when the Mers first arrived on Earth.

"Hello, Keith, nice day, isn't it," Lance's mother said cheerfully, handing a freshly poured cup from out of the bunch on the wide foldable table they were standing around. "Here, good work."

Keith accepted the cup sheepishly. "Thanks. Hi. Yeah, it's a nice day."

Lance sent him a small wince of sympathy, then pasted a teasing grin on his face. "And how's our fearless cowboy leader today? Having fun with the roundup?"

"No," Keith said curtly. "If I never see a cow again, it's too soon." In perfect irony, Klaizap's cow - with Klaizap riding on its shoulders - mooed insistently and bumped its head against Keith's arm. Keith just barely managed to hide his instinctual grimace of disgust. At least he didn't get any cow saliva on his clothes, having had the foresight to roll up his sleeves beforehand.

Luis walked over, handing Klaizap a cup, then passed two more to Lance's niece and nephew to give to the other Arusians who were also starting to gather around.

"So, what's happening with these cows?" Lance's dad asked, a slightly confused look on his face as he looked around at the tableau.

"Why are they even here?" Marco added, looking just as confused.

"Apparently, they were illegally acquired by an enterprising alien hoping to profit off Earth goods," Veronica explained, voice as dry as the Sahara.

Lance's grandmother shook her head, hands steady as she unstacked more cups onto the table. "So the government was covering that up too. Just like they covered up everything else."

"Not that enterprising." Lance snorted. "Nobody was buying from his shop. He gave us Kaltenecker for free with purchase!"

"That's right, you have a cow now," Lance's mother mused, looking just as confused as her husband.

"Where is Kaltenecker anyway?" Nadia asked, looking around as if she was going to pop out of thin air.

"And why Kaltenecker?" Sylvio demanded. "It's a stupid name."

"It's an alien name," said Lance, smoothing back hair from Sylvio's forehead as he trotted off with a full cup. "And she's on the Atlas, resting. She had a big scare, getting teleported to the Garrison by Kosmo right in the middle of that last fight. We don't want to disturb her with quarantine and medical checks and anything else they want to force on her before letting her stay on Earth."

"It's what the rest of the cows had to go through after the Garrison recovered them," Veronica said with a shrug at the kids' unimpressed looks. "And now they're being sheltered here in hopes that they can be reintegrated with Earth cows at some point."

"Not any time soon," Keith told them glumly, drinking the rest of his cup in one gulp. "They keep arguing over whether it's worth it to keep the cows, except the Earth store certainly doesn't want them back, and now some people are proposing we just slaughter the lot of them," he finished with a scowl, accepting a fresh cup from Rachel. "And while they're arguing _I_ have to sit there and listen to them."

The kids, having come back for more cups with new Arusians in tow, gasped in unison, some of the Arusians looking just as stricken.

Regret crashed over Keith like a wave, but before he could say anything, Plaxum was turning to him and asking, "But surely it's not the job of the Leader of Voltron to attend to such petty issues?"

"Make them sort it out themselves," one of the Arusians, with a familiar deep voice, said in agreement.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Half of them don't want to deal with aliens, so they're using Voltron's status as an excuse to make us act as go-between. And half of the aliens don't want to deal with them directly either."

"I'm pretty sure Shiro never had to sit through stuff like this though." Lance frowned, looking from Keith to Plaxum.

Keith shrugged, a little uncomfortable. "Things are different in wartime."

The mood turned somber at his words, and Keith regretted saying them. He looked over at the kids to see their mother already there, crouched down to their level and saying something in low tones that made them - and the heartbroken Arusians clumped around them - perk back up again.

"So!" Lance broke the tension, as reliable as the sun. "Change of topic; what's this I hear about your mating rituals, Keith?"

Keith glared, caught between the urge to punch Lance for bringing up this topic and relief that they were moving on to a different subject.

"Oh, Blumfump and Swirn have caught me up on that," Plaxum said cheerfully to Keith's horror. "Don't worry, we've cancelled the betting pool."

"There was a pool!?" Keith and Lance asked in unison. Keith in dismay, Lance in the tones of someone who had just heard the best joke all week.

In the background, Lisa straightened back up and frowned. "Was that a pun?"

"We didn't realise it was a private matter!" Plaxum shrugged defensively. "We don't have a lot of experience with humans after all. We thought it was public knowledge."

"It…kind of is," Lance's mother said with a sympathetic glance at Keith. "It's just good manners to pretend we didn't notice and give them the chance to sort it out themselves."

"Swirn said that too," Plaxum told them earnestly. "That's why we cancelled the pool."

"Thanks," said Keith awkwardly, unable to look anyone in the eye. "Wait, what do you mean it kind of is public knowledge?"

"Anyone with eyes can see the sexual tension between you two," Rachel said with a roll of her eyes, handing Keith another cup.

"Hey!" Marco shouted indignantly, hands cupped over the ears of one of kids while Lance cupped his hands over the other's.

'Whoops, sorry."

But it was too late, Nadia was already scrunching up her face. "Ewwww, you'll get cooties!"

"It's not cooties if they haven't kissed!" Sylvio argued hotly.

Keith ignored them, too busy trying to take in the full weight of the revelation. "You mean everyone thinks we're…"

"Aren't you?" Lance asked, eyes staring intently at Keith with an emotion he didn't quite understand. But that was how Keith got in this mess in the first place. Because he didn't understand emotions, not even his own, and he didn't even have the excuse of being an alien who had never been to Earth until now.

"It doesn't matter what I am," Keith tried to say believably. "Don't tell James."

Lance's family gave each other incomprehensible looks. "Is he...incredibly dense?" Lance's father asked tentatively. "Otherwise I think he already knows."

The bottom dropped out of Keith's stomach for one heart-stopping moment, until he managed to actually take in what Lance's father said. "No, it's okay, he is dense. Super dense. It's fine; just don't say anything."

This time, Lance's family _and_ Plaxum all gave each other incomprehensible looks. Plaxum, who actually was an alien who had never been to Earth until now.

"But why do you not want him to know?" Klaizap asked with a frown. "Do you not want to take him as your mate? You stake your claim with your gaze every time you are near him, and he does the same. You should consummate your relationship instead of dragging it out."

It was the same thing everyone had been saying to him, and Keith wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that everyone - human and alien - apparently had the same advice, or the fact that the advice was the one thing that was too difficult for him to accomplish. "Look, I'll say something to him, at some point, probably, but I'd really like it if people can stop gossiping about us, okay?"

"That won't be easy if you keep looking at each other like that," Lance's grandmother said wryly.

Keith sighed. He had been doing a lot of that recently. Unfortunately, he couldn't use the same distraction he used the last two times. They were done with the official business of herding the cows, and now all that was left was waiting for the farmhands the Garrison had hired to arrive. _It was going to be a long two hours_ , Keith thought miserably, until he caught Lance's eyes.

"Let's put aside Keith and his emotional illiteracy; who wants to talk about Keith anyway?" Lance said with over-the-top obnoxiousness. "It's past lunchtime so let's get the food out and eat!"

The Arusians cheered, the conversation drawing to a close to Keith's relief. Lance's family bustled about skilfully, laying out a picnic spread big enough for all of them right next to Plaxum's part of the riverbank while Plaxum brought out packages of her own that had apparently been stored underwater for this moment.

Relishing in the knowledge that the humiliation was over, Keith dug into the feast with visible enjoyment; even Plaxum's...baking - probably baking, although it was the wettest pastry Keith had ever eaten - tasted amazing. You learned to appreciate home-cooked food after living in a 10,000-year-old castle with Alteans for a year and then living on the back of a space creature big enough to generate its own atmosphere with your soldier-spy mother for two years.

Unfortunately, Keith didn't get to enjoy it for long, Lance dropping down into a seat next to Keith with deliberate casualness. Keith forced himself to look over. On one hand, the silver lining was that he was getting a crash course on figuring out social behaviour the past few days; already he could tell what Lance was going to say just from his experience with Pidge – there was a very deliberate bubble of space being erected around the two of them that Keith wouldn't have noticed before all this. But on the other hand, now he knew exactly what everyone thought about his relationship with James. Not that they had a relationship.

"So," Lance said, and waggled his eyebrows.

"I already had this talk from Hunk and Pidge," Keith said quickly, hoping to head it off.

Lance blinked. "Wow, even Pidge? Wait, how did _Pidge_ get in line ahead of me?"

"There is no line," said Keith, not that he expected it to stop Lance. "And she just happened to be there when Ryner was talking to me."

Lance blinked again. "How did _Ryner_ get in line ahead of me?"

Keith didn't even bother to contest it this time. "You can blame Hunk for that, he was the one who thought it was a good idea saying it in front of all the Olkari."

"Oh, that. I think…" Lance said slowly, a frown of concentration on his face, "Hunk didn't really understand how much in the spotlight we are. Ever since the Voltron Shows we kind of became celebrities – we have so many fans now, Keith! – but that was still while we were actively fighting the Empire. Like you said, things were different during wartime. Now, people feel like they're free to consider these little issues because there's no war looming in the background. Especially with you being the Black Paladin and the Leader of Voltron now."

Keith grunted; mostly because Lance had stopped talking and was looking at him expectantly.

"Not that it's an excuse," Lance continued, "but he does feel bad about it. Yeah, I know, don't take my word for it; this is just me being a busybody. Anyway, in this case, most people were probably already thinking it. I don't think you realise how obvious you guys are."

"I know Hunk means well," Keith admitted, ignoring the rest of his words. Despite everything, it was probably a good thing Hunk had brought it up. Maybe Keith would rather have lived in ignorance, but in the long run it was probably better that he was made aware of what everyone thought about him. Probably. "I guess this is the kind of thing I need to keep track of as the Black Paladin."

"What a hardship." Lance rolled his eyes. "Everyone pays attention to you! How's that a bad thing!"

"Because I don't want them to pay attention to this," said Keith as bitingly as he could. "I don't care if I get attention or not. Not that it matters what I care about."

"It matters," Lance said seriously, all the flippancy suddenly draining away. That's how it always was with Lance. When he thought Lance was taking things seriously it turned out it had never mattered, and when Keith thought he was trivialising something he was actually taking it to heart. Maybe Keith would never understand Lance, but he trusted him to have his back. Keith trusted Lance when he said, "That's why I think you should make an announcement. I wouldn't be saying this if it's not important, Keith. I know it's hard when you have feelings for someone and you're too scared to take that next step. I make fun of you for a lot of things, but I wouldn't make fun of you for this. That's how serious I am. But right now, it's all over the place because speculation is all they've got. And it's only going to get worse the longer you stay silent, because neither of you can be subtle about this if your lives depend on it. But if there's something official then the curiosity will die down.

"Though I gotta say," he added, once again flipping the switch back to irreverence, "I didn't expect it to get to you like this. I didn't think you cared what people thought about you."

"I don't. But it's not just me they're talking about; James doesn't deserve this." Keith's brows crinkled. "Wait, what do you mean, it's going to get worse? I thought it's all sorted now that Ryner's shutting up the other Olkari and the Mers cancelled their pool."

Lance gave him a pitying look. "If you really think the rumours will stop with them…"

"Oh no," Keith whispered.

"Oh yes," Lance whispered back.

* * *

Everything had been going well in James's quest to win the wolf over, so it was only to be expected that fate would throw a wrench in his plans. He had grown too bold, James realised - too late - as he hovered in the doorway to the rec room that the wolf had pretty much taken over.

"James," Veronica said with feigned surprise. "Fancy meeting you here."

James cut to the chase. "How did you find out?"

"Nothing as devious as what you're thinking." She snorted, deliberately relaxing back against the couch she was sprawled on. "I just asked Commander Holt."

"And how did you know to ask Commander Holt in the first place?" James demanded.

"Trade secret." Veronica smirked. "So you've been having fun with Keith's wolf, have you?"

James rolled his eyes. He walked inside with his head held high; there was no point trying to obfuscate her. "You got something to say about that?"

"Not really," she said with forced casualness, her stare boring into James's head.

He didn't let it get to him. It's not like he cared what she thought. Instead, he turned to the wolf, who had been shuffling in front of his mountain of cushions - only some of which had come from James, but already so numerous that they had spilled out beyond the corner the wolf had originally commandeered - in confusion at the change from their usual routine. James held his hand out, this time with a piece of jerky that he had asked Kinkade to ask Hunk if it was safe for the wolf to eat. It was, and the wolf swiped the meat eagerly from James's hand, gulping it down in one bite.

"So you've just been feeding him this whole time?" Veronica asked, interrupting their usual dance of the wolf trying to stick his muzzle into James's pockets in the search for more treats and James trying to stop him.

"Not just feeding him," James protested, dragging a new chew toy out of a pocket the wolf hadn't reached for yet.

Veronica stared at him, then turned her gaze deliberately to the pile of similar toys encroaching onto the cushions' space - also not all from James, just to be clear - then turned back to level him with an unimpressed look. "Uh-huh. So when are you going to tell Keith about this?"

James whipped his head around in surprise, barely noticing the wolf taking advantage of his lapse to steal the toy away. "This is why you went to all this trouble?"

"First of all, I didn't go to that much trouble," Veronica told him sharply. She released the tension with a sigh. "I suppose it _is_ a bit prying to ask that. But are you really going to keep doing this behind his back? You realise that that wolf is never going to choose you over Keith?" She made a face. "I didn't mean it like that."

James took one look at her eyes and knew he wasn't going to be able to talk around this. But then, a part of him had realised since he saw her here that he was never going to be able to avoid the issue. "No, I know that. I'm not really trying to bribe him away." He looked down. "Keith has been really busy, unsurprisingly; everyone wants a piece of the Leader of Voltron. But that means he hasn't had much time to spend with this little guy here."

"Little guy," Veronica said flatly.

James ran a hand down the wolf's back soothingly and continued, ignoring the interruption, "It's not Keith's fault, but he can't take him everywhere. And the poor guy's lonely."

"That is very altruistic of you," Veronica said in the same flat voice.

"Not that altruistic," James admitted. "I'm still hoping he'll take me teleporting with him someday if I give him enough treats."

Veronica had the same look on her face as Sam did when James had told him. It still made James want to squirm. "Sure," she said with another sigh. "Let's leave it at that, shall we? He's right, you really are dense."

"Wait." James frowned at her. "Who's calling me dense?"

"No one you need to worry about," Veronica told him, heaving herself up from the couch and heading for the door. "You just stay there and keep the wolf company. Who knows, it may get you what you actually want."

James watched her go, shaking his head at the wolf. "She just has to have the last word."

* * *

 **AN:** I spent 5 seconds wondering what to do if the mermaids can't breath air then decided not to think about it. Also I have no idea how Plaxum's bakery works, but sure, Bob, whatever you say.

Coming up next: Featuring Allura, the Arusian King and Bii-Boh-Bi (with the MFE Pilots)


	4. Featuring Allura, Arusian King & Bii-Boh

**A/N:** Posting today because I will have no time to do it over the weekend.

* * *

Keith was proud to say that he had not shirked his duty even once since they arrived back on Earth. Even when he didn't think it was necessary. Even when he really didn't want to. Even when it was appearing on a live interview broadcast to pretty much the entire known universe. Keith did not shirk his duty even though he was regretting every second of it.

"Are you okay?" Romelle asked anxiously from her seat next to him in the makeshift green room on the Atlas. "You're not gonna puke, are you? Because I want to. I'm going to puke. Oh quizack, I'm going to _puke_."

Keith scooted a little further from her, right into the arm of the hard couch they were sitting on. "Do you need the toilet? It's the room next to this one, I think."

"There's no need for that!" Coran butted in with way too much cheer for a man about to be featured on intergalactic TV. "I've had plenty of experience being on film; I've got a traditional Altean remedy for nerves that will sort you right out. Just breathe with me: hip! Hip! Foooo!"

Romelle gave him a scornful look. "That's just an old superstition."

Coran's mustache bristled in indignation, and Keith quickly turned away before he was dragged into the spat. He didn't have the energy to deal with them today, nor did he want to put a stop to it when bantering with Coran was putting colour back in Romelle's cheeks. Instead, Keith looked over at Allura, seated at the heavy wooden vanity the Arusians had helped their King drag in at the last minute from who knows where. She was talking seriously with the King, or as serious as she could while the mice fussed with piling her hair into an elaborate updo.

Noticing his gaze, Allura looked over at him and smiled reflexively. Keith decided to take that as an invitation and made his way over.

The Arusian King noticed a moment later, and quickly stood up to bow. "It is an honour to be here. Thank you for inviting me."

"Oh, um." Keith cleared his throat awkwardly, pausing in front of the two of them with the overwhelming urge to shuffle his feet. "No need to thank me. Allura really wanted you with us today."

"Of course!" Allura said with a stern frown. "Arus is the first planet in the Voltron Alliance. It's only right that you are the one here with us today for the interviews."

"Just follow her lead," Keith told the King when he still looked worried. It was the tactic Keith had decided to take himself. He had resigned himself to the fact that this wasn't something he could get away with skipping - which was pretty much his life nowadays - and made the unilateral decision that Allura could take all the responsibility since she was the one who wanted it so much.

The door opened, ushering in Bii-Boh-Bi with a large stack of tablets in his arms. "Bi-boh bi-bii-boh boh-bii," he said, handing a tablet to each of them as they approached him.

Keith blinked down at his, swiped it once, then a few more times for good measure. "HOW many questions do we have to go through? We're only the first block, aren't we? Are the others going to have just as many questions for their interview? How long is this broadcast supposed to be?"

"Oh my," the King said weakly, holding his tablet away from him gingerly.

"I don't even know the answer to most of these," said Romelle, finger swiping so fast it was mostly a blur. "Is this a quiz? Is this like that Bob thing we missed out on?"

"It had better not be," Keith snarled at Bii-Boh-Bi.

"Bi-boh-bii bii-bi." Bii-Boh-Bi pointed out, waving a hand nonchalantly.

"Well, you have a point there." Coran nodded sagely. "For most of the universe, this will be the first time they've seen us since our fight with Lotor. It's no surprise that they would have questions for us. But, uh, did they really send in…" He made a quick count. "Over 2,000 questions? And the others will have to answer just as many? This is ridiculous! No one will have the fortitude to watch an interview with over 4,000 questions!"

"Boh-bi-bii bi-boh boh." Bii-Boh-Bi frowned.

"We understand," Allura said hastily. "We definitely are not dismissing the concern everyone has for us. If answering these questions will set everyone's minds at ease then, I promise you, we will do our uttermost to answer as many as we can."

"Wait..." Keith said, starting to regret his resolution to let Allura take control.

"Oh my, oh my," the king said in an even weaker voice, slumping back in his seat.

Keith looked down at the questions more closely, skimming through the sections until he reached- "Why is there a section about our private lives?"

"Bi-boh-bi-bi bii-bi-boh," Bii-Boh-Bi said enthusiastically, all earlier bad humour gone in an instant.

"I don't care if it sells, I'm not talking about my relationships," Keith said firmly. "Especially not...why is James's name on here?"

"Ooooooooooh," Allura and Romelle said as one, eyes wide with curiosity and hands held dramatically over their mouths. The fact that the mice were copying the gesture from their perches on Allura and Romelle's shoulders was just the cherry on the top of the infuriating sundae.

"Bi-bii bi-boh." Bii-Boh-Bi sniffed, with the most unimpressed look Keith had ever seen.

"I don't care how many people sent in that question, this is a private matter between the two of us." Keith took a deep breath, trying not to snap the tablet between his hands.

The mice squeaked animatedly, Allura nodding along. "The mice are right, Keith. I know you've already asked people to respect your privacy, but you can't insure they will do that on your say so. The best way to combat this will be to make an official announcement. It will make your stance clear even to those who don't know you personally."

Keith looked at her. "Did you know Lance said the same thing?"

Allura's expression softened. "I didn't know." She paused, then asked softly, "Did he really say that?"

"Well, that's not a surprise." Coran harrumphed before Keith could reply. "It's the right way to deal with rumours like this. Make sure everyone know where you stand, and that will quiet down the majority."

"I still don't understand why it's such a big deal in the first place," Keith snapped in frustration.

"Boh-bi-bi." Bii-Boh-Bi's stare made Keith feel like he was two inches tall, the effect made worse by the fact that everyone else, from the Arusian King to all four of the mice, were all looking at him with the same exasperated stare.

"Because you are a leader," the Arusian King said anxiously, wringing his hands. "You are the Black Paladin of Voltron. They look to you for hope, and stability, because you saved us. But to many of the Coalition, you are a mystery. You are not the Black Paladin they know, nor the Keith they know." Here he sent a confused look at Allura. "And it means that for many in the Coalition they feel like they don't know Voltron anymore. I know this is uncomfortable for you, but they are trying to understand you. It will be easier if you can give them something to understand."

"Oh," Keith said weakly. Now he felt small for a different reason. He had never really thought about what Voltron meant to the Coalition and all the people they saved. He had never really had to deal with it, hiding among the Blade of Marmora while the others were doing the whole publicity thing. And now it was yet another burden he must shoulder.

"Bii-bi-boh bi-boh boh-bi," Bii-Boh-Bi piped up, waving the tablet in his hands in irritation.

"Yes, yes," said Coran, flopping back down on the chair he had been sitting in previously, "we know that's the purpose of this interview you set up, Bii-Boh-Bi; that's why we are here. I don't need your lip!"

Bii-Boh-Bi's shoulders slumped dramatically. "Bii-bi boh-bi-boh."

"Ahem." Allura cleared her throat pointedly at Coran, before turning to Bii-Boh-Bi. "We are honoured to be given this chance, Bii-Boh-Bi, thank you for setting this up for us."

"Bi-bii-boh!" Bii-Boh-Bi grinned widely; it was amazing how quickly Allura managed to fix his mood with just a few words.

"Come, let's sit down." Allura gestured to them as she took a seat in a matching chair opposite Coran. "We still have some time to prepare before the broadcast, let's finish looking through these questions so we can discuss any difficult ones before we have to answer them live."

Keith and Romelle retook their original seats on the couch, squishing together this time so that the Arusian King could fit on the end. There was blessed silence for a few minutes as everyone concentrated on their tablets; Allura and the Arusian King frowning studiously as they leafed through each page of questions with stately decorum, Coran flipping through his tablet with a careless ease, Romelle still swiping through the pages too fast to be reading anything, even Bii-Boh-Bi had taken to leaning against the back of Coran's chair as he typed furiously on his own tablet, meanwhile Keith scrolled down each question about James as they grew increasingly intrusive and tried to console himself that it couldn't get any worse than this. Unfortunately, the silence wasn't destined to last, not with the way Romelle kept sneaking glances at Keith from the corner of her eye.

"What," snapped Keith, losing his patience far quicker than Romelle would ever get bored of her side glances.

"There's the other side to consider too," she said incomprehensibly. "What's his name, James, was it? If you say something official now, it might take the pressure off him."

Keith narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean? They've gone after James?"

"Not as far as we know," Allura quickly butt in. "But with cases like this, it's only a matter of time before someone is tired of waiting for you to say something and ask James about it directly."

Dread curled inside Keith's chest. There was a worse after all. "No, I don't want someone to talk to him about it before I had a chance to talk to him."

"In that case…" Romelle gestured excessively with her tablet.

"I should say something during the interview," Keith finished for her, feeling like he was consigning himself to the gallows.

"I'm sorry we had to force your hand." Allura leaned forward earnestly, laying a gentle hand over Keith's white knuckles as they gripped tightly on the edge of his tablet. "I would much rather hear it from you when you are ready to tell us. Being a leader is about making sacrifices for the greater good, but I regret that this choice has to be taken from you."

Keith could feel his throat choking up. Clearing it did not help. "Thanks, Allura. I know you guys mean well. You're doing this for my sake, and James's sake. I don't blame you guys for it." He looked down, then forced himself to look back up into their eyes. "And, yeah, I would prefer not to say anything, but they need me to. I do get that." He took a deep breath. "James needs me to."

"Oh, _Number Four_." Coran was the first to break, warm arms enveloping his torso way too tightly. "We would have waited forever, even if we get what Lance calls the blue balls before you are comfortable with telling us of your relationship. You must know we support you all the way, even though you haven't even introduced this James to us! But we are patient, we are ready to welcome him at _any point_ , you just need to tell us and I will treat him as my own son like you all are my sons - or daughters, or nephews, nieces, cousins, whatever you wish!"

Keith tried to sit patiently through Coran's diatribe, but he couldn't let that stand. "Wait, don't get ahead of yourself! I never said anything about that. I'm not going to actually talk about my relationship with James on intergalactic TV," he said firmly. "I just want everyone to leave us alone. Preferably forever, but at least until I've had a chance to talk to him."

Coran leaned back from his embrace to share a look Keith couldn't interpret with the others. Finally, Allura stepped forward, raising an eyebrow slowly at him. "Are you sure you're trying to quell the rumours not exacerbate them?"

* * *

 _I don't know why multiple people even want to ask this question, but my answer is 'it's PRIVATE'. This is between me and James - uh, James Griffon, a human of Earth, leader of the MFE pilots, you don't need to put his photo on the screen and where did you even get this photo? Take it off! I didn't agree to have my photo shown on here! How did you even get the two of us in the same frame?_

 _Anyway, our relationship status is none of your business. This is a private matter between me and James so stop asking. Don't bother James about it. Leave him alone. Don't bother me about it either. I am not going to tell you about my private life._

 _Um, please. Thank you._

 _Can we go on to the next question yet?_

* * *

Looking back, James should have realised that encounter with Veronica was a sign. He should have been more careful after that. But he had fooled himself into thinking it wasn't a big deal, that nobody would care.

As if the Leader of Voltron could ever be allowed to not be a big deal.

But James was so caught up in wallowing in self-pity, in trying to selfishly take what he could get because even thinking about what he really wanted was too unattainable, he had never stopped to consider Keith's perspective.

Which was why he was taken completely unawares when he finally managed to find some time to spend with Keith's wolf, after numerous days of staying up late working overtime - not that working at the Garrison in the aftermath of an alien invasion allowed you the luxury of differentiating between regular working hours and overtime anyway. He had been completely exhausted after another 16 hour day, but the day after would be his first day off in months and James was determined to finally spend some time with the wolf that night. If James was busy, then Keith was kept even busier, which meant no one to keep the poor wolf company. James would never admit it, but even without the allure of a possible teleportation trip someday, he had reached the point where he wanted to pamper the wolf as much as he could.

Unfortunately, he never got that far. James didn't even make it into the rec room where the wolf was lying down patiently waiting for his master to pick him up. Instead, blocking the door, foreboding frowns on all three faces, stood his fellow MFE pilots.

"You're coming drinking with us," Rizavi said firmly and James found himself spirited away before he was really aware what was going on.

It was there, in their favourite bar in the small town nearest the Garrison, nursing their complimentary 'for the heroes that saved us from the big purple aliens' drinks, that the others broke the news to him. In hindsight, it was probably lucky of him to hear it from his fellow MFEs first. Back then, it was all James could do to not choke and die on his mouthful of microbrew.

"He said what," James managed to croak out, "on where?"

"It was a live broadcast," Leifsdottir said, not a hair out of place despite how she had been chugging brandy like water all evening. "Estimated to reach 89% of the planets in the Voltron Coalition and at least 56% of those not in it."

James coughed weakly.

"From your reaction, I'm guessing this wasn't a planned media blitz between the two of you?" Rizavi asked archly, taking a small sip of her ominously white drink.

James coughed some more.

"You haven't even talked to him, have you." Kinkade shook his head resignedly, raising his designated driver virgin cocktail in a mock salute.

"Are you sure he said that," James asked one more time, then chugged the rest of his beer in one breath because he couldn't stand the weight of their stares anymore.

"I think it's very sweet!" A man at the table next to them stuck his face between James and Rizavi with a drunk grin. "It's romantic!"

"Kids these days and their new-fangled love confessions." One of the women at the same table shook her head with a sniff.

"Ignore her," another woman said in the faux whisper characteristic of someone who was three sheets to the wind. "She doesn't watch a lot of rom-coms."

James looked over at the other pilots with wild eyes. "That's not- that doesn't count as a confession, does it? I didn't even see the broadcast! I was stuck going over old training drills from the last three years with Commander Holt and Professor Montgomery!"

He got three pitying looks in return. Rizavi was the one who asked, as blunt as always, "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Do?" James echoed helplessly. "I-"

"Have you not been planning for this day with your bribery of Keith's most precious possession?" Leifsdottir took a calm sip out of her snifter.

"What- no! Are you talking about his wolf? Of course not!" James groped at his mug, remembering too late that it was empty.

"Then why the bribery?" Kinkade asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I haven't been…" James trailed off weakly. "I wasn't doing it for Keith. I didn't think he felt that way about me. I mean, this is Keith we're talking about!"

"And yet he talked about you on an intergalactic broadcast," Rizavi pointed out. "So what are you going to do about it?"

James looked at her grimly, then flagged down the waiter. He was going to need a lot more alcohol.

The waiter arrived within seconds, depositing a shot of whiskey down in front of James. "You look like you need it," he said with a sympathetic smile. "On the house as always."

James looked at the shot with gimlet eyes, then downed it in one swallow. "I am going to drink so much I can't see straight tonight," he told them all as he smacked the shot glass down on the table. "Then I'm going to go find Keith tomorrow and talk to him while I have the worst hangover of my life."

Rizavi cackled. "I always knew you're a masochist, Griffin."

"Another," Leifsdottir called to the waiter and gave James a nod that said she was drinking with him to the end.

Kinkade sighed into his glass. "If you're going to go ahead with this, can I at least record it?"

"No." James knocked back a series of shots one after the other.

"Keith did it over an intergalactic broadcast," Kinkade pointed out, unperturbed.

"Don't think you're going to get me to agree by playing on my competitive nature," James bit out with way too much sobriety considering his goal. Though the finger he was jabbing in Kinkade's face was at least wavering in and out of focus. "The answer is no."

It was the last thing James remembered of that night.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sage advice from the Arusian King that was not featured in this chapter: and always have a sacrifice ready for the worst case scenario!

Also not featured is Shiro, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk in the second block of interviews with Ryner.

Coming up next: Featuring Shiro, Baujal and the Balmerans (with the Paladins)


	5. Featuring Shiro, Baujal & the Balmerans

**A/N:** The most awkward thing about this chapter was how I couldn't just group them as the Paladins because Keith's not there and Shiro is. Also this chapter contains probably the highest number of personal headcanons about the aliens of Voltron in the entire fic.

* * *

It was the very next day after Keith's ill-thought-out announcement to over three quarters of the known universe, and he was regretting it after the fact. James was sure to have a lot to say about Keith putting him under the spotlight even more. James was good at being under the spotlight, good at living up to people's expectations. But not like this.

What Keith needed to do was talk to James and clear everything up, the way everyone had been telling him to. To apologise because James didn't deserve to face the consequences of Keith's actions. To figure out where they stood now, because if James really was looking at Keith the same way Keith was looking at him…

But what Keith was actually doing was loitering around the bridge of the Atlas, attending the assessment of the Crystal that used to be the Castleship with Shiro and the Balmerans. Because he was the Leader of Voltron, and someone needed to take part in testing the Lions' bond with the Castleship replacement. And it fell to Keith because everyone else had made their excuses already. Maybe Keith could have made excuses too, but he didn't have an excuse good enough to override his Black Paladin status, and so here he was.

Around them, the walls of the Atlas gave an echoing creak. Keith winced and mentally gave the Atlas a quick pat for calling it a replacement.

Up ahead, Rax broke away from the huddle of Balmerans clustered around the Crystal's containment chamber and gave the walls a wary glare. Shiro, who knew what was going on as much as Keith did, turned his way instead.

Keith made a face at him and looked away. Shiro had been looking at him a lot today, undoubtedly because he too had seen the broadcast last night. But Keith didn't have anything to say to him. Nothing he didn't have to say to James first.

Casting aside the distractions with a shake of his head, Keith forced his concentration back on the Balmerans' ceremony. It wasn't as grand as the others Keith had seen, just a small ring of Balmerans - including Shay's family, though Shay herself was off with Hunk making the report on Olkari crops to the Global Food and Agriculture Organisation - encircling the Crystal. None of them were actually touching the Crystal or the container it floated in - unsurprising considering how small it was compared to the Balmeran Crystals he'd seen before - just hovering their claws over it. A mythical blue glow was the only sign that anything was happening.

Every once in a while, one of the Balmerans would break away from the circle to write awkwardly on a heavy duty Garrison tablet that had been jury-rigged for their use. That was one of the things on the agenda, Keith recalled reluctantly, still slightly horrified that he knew about agendas and what was on them. The Coalition had plenty of species with similar forelimbs to the Balmerans, but they were still having problems making Coalition technology - each of them all different in their own ways from Galran, Altean, and of course Earth technology - compatible; while the various engineers were doing their best, some issues fell lower on the list - among them the need to configure workstations for species with less tactile sensitivity. Some had decided to just work with what they had and then personally convert to a format that Garrison technology could access, but the Balmerans weren't that technologically advanced in the first place - that was what happened when you had been enslaved for centuries - and in the end it was decided that it would be easier for everyone to just kludge some Garrison tablets to withstand Balmeran claws for the time being.

Watching Rax laboriously tap on his tablet as gently as he could, Keith could understand why Hunk had been so indignant. The poor Balmerans probably spent more time trying not to break the tablets than they did using them. Keith made a mental note to push the issue harder next time it came up in a meeting, resigned both to the fact that he had to make these kinds of mental notes and that he had to attend these meetings in the first place. It didn't seem right to pawn them off with mismatched gear when the Balmerans had the crucial job of making sure the Crystal and the Atlas were working properly.

The reminder of the importance of this assessment stabbed at Keith. He pushed off from the wall he was leaning against and walked up to read over Rax's shoulder. The Balmerans didn't really have a written language, since their main mode of communication was literally the planet beneath their feet and they had been enslaved and living under hostile occupation for as long as they remember, but a number of them started learning the Rebel shorthand - which got co-opted into the Coalition shorthand shortly after - alongside everyone else when Voltron brought them together for the counterattack against the Empire. Rax was one of the more proficient learners, certainly more proficient than Keith himself who only bothered to learn the most crucial rote phrases, and his report contained not only the required sections, but also a plethora of notes jotted down in any available space. Keith squinted down at the alien writing, marveling at how quickly the Garrison managed to incorporate it into its systems while everything else was still on the to-do list, and tried to pick out parts he recognised. "So this Crystal is ultra super battleship class?"

Rax turned slightly, skillfully giving Keith an exasperated look without the use of irises or pupils. "Are you just guessing at the words? It should not even count as a battleship class, it barely counts as a Crystal. Whatever this is, it is nothing I have ever known."

"It's Altean magic," Shiro said with a crooked grin, his eyes sweeping across the room with a mixture of pride and wonder that he used to aim at the Black Lion.

"It is Voltron magic." Shay's father laughed, looking around as well. "Their quintessence calls to each other. Connects to each other. They are as alive as you or me or the Balmera."

Keith frowned, reaching out to the Black Lion mentally and trying to detect the connection between the Lions and the Atlas. There was a gentle touch of humour at the back of his head, and then he felt it. A yearning from the Black Lion to the Ship-that-was-not-the-Castle, and a matching response from the Ship-that-was-no-longer-the-Castle. They were connected, in some ways how they used to be connected - with the Atlas powering them as the Castle of Lions did then, and in some ways so very different. Keith was pretty sure the Castle of Lions wasn't alive the way the Atlas was now. Maybe the infinite mass had crushed it into something more, like coal into diamonds as Hunk had said. Or maybe it had always been this aware and Keith just never noticed; it would just be another thing he never noticed.

Realising that he was falling into the same brooding he had been trying so hard to ignore, Keith gave his head another shake and tried to focus on the tablet again. "So basically everything's all good?"

Rax gave him another look. "We understand nothing about this power, nor what its limits are, nor what effect it will have on your ship in the long term. But, yes, everything seems to be working as it should right now. I suppose that concludes the testing."

"It's limits are Voltron's limits," said Shay's grandmother cryptically. "It's power is Voltron's power. You likely know more than we do." She gave Keith and Shiro an arch look.

Keith turned to Shiro to find he was turning to Keith at the same time. "Unfortunately, the Garrison can't accept mystical bonds with self-aware machines as valid methodology," Shiro said wryly. "They could barely accept your mystical bonds with the crystals."

"How backward." Shay's mother shook her head sadly. "But this is a chance for Earth to learn more about us, and for us to learn more about Earth. With understanding comes trust."

"Of course." Shiro smiled back at her. "We are honoured to have your help, and your trust."

"The honour is ours," a different Balmeran said. "This Earth is the birthplace of the Paladins of Voltron. It has meaning to many of us."

Watching Shiro and the way his entire body softened at the Balmerans' words, Keith couldn't help but think what a waste it was that Shiro was no longer the Black Paladin. It was a familiar thought by now.

Something must have showed on Keith's face, because Shiro was looking at him again. He inched closer, crowding Keith back against the wall now that the Balmerans had started dispersing. "Keith."

Keith looked down. "What?"

"Do you have a moment?"

"Shouldn't we be helping them pack up?" Keith pointed out, knowing it wouldn't make a difference.

"They can do without us for a bit," said Shiro easily, keeping his attention on Keith.

Keith shrugged, scowling down at his boots.

"Are you okay?" Shiro asked, taking Keith's silence as permission.

"Am _I_ okay?" Keith couldn't help but respond. It was just like Shiro to worry so much about others. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Shiro frowned.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am." Shiro smiled quizzically.

"I just- we never really talked about all this." Keith waved his hands, trying to encompass everything they had gone through since he brought Shiro back. "I took over because _someone_ needed to be the Black Paladin. But you're okay now, and you...never asked for it back.

"Shiro." Keith forced himself to look into Shiro's eyes. "Don't you regret not being the Black Paladin anymore?"

Shiro looked back at him and said in measured tones, "Being the Black Paladin was never about me. It was something that needed to be done, something people needed me to be. But now there is you to do what needs to be done and be what people need you to be. And I have something else that needs to be done, someone else that people need me to be." He laid his metal hand against a wall, smiling proudly. It was a great honour to be the captain of the Atlas, Keith knew this intellectually, and yet...

"It's that simple?" He wasn't sure he could quite believe it.

"Do you regret not being the Red Paladin anymore?" Shiro asked in reply.

Keith broke his gaze. "I do miss it, but Lance is a good Red Paladin. It's good for him."

"Then there's your answer." Keith could hear the smile in Shiro's voice.

"Do you really think I'm a good Black Paladin?" Keith asked shyly, knowing he was taking advantage of Shiro, asking for reassurance that wasn't his to give.

"Of course I do," said Shiro, because he had always let Keith take advantage of him. Shiro's human arm came up to grip Keith's shoulder, and Keith found himself relaxing into it.

A knock at the exit to the bridge broke them apart, ending the moment. Keith looked over and found a Taujeerian standing in the doorway. The colour of their skin suggested that it was their leader, Baujal, but Keith still had some trouble differentiating them so he hung back to let Shiro deal with it.

Shiro stepped forward confidently, not a hint of hesitation as he said, "Baujal! I'm glad you could make it. Sorry, the assessment ended up taking longer than we thought it would."

'That is quite alright," Baujal said calmly through their mechanical filter. "I am early as well."

"Come this way." Shiro waved them over to the captain's workstation, then turned to Keith. "Do you want to stay for this meeting?"

"I...I should," Keith said reluctantly, trying to ignore the guilt of putting James off yet again.

Shiro sent him a sharp look. "It's just going over some of the Ark's plans and whether it's feasible incorporating it into the Atlas. This is only the preliminary stage, I'll be bringing you up to speed along with the others when I make the report at the next weekly meeting."

"Yeah, but…" By this point, Keith wasn't sure which he'd rather do less, sit and watch Shiro and Baujal argue over whether the Atlas needs the ability to float in acid or find James and talk about his feelings.

Shiro's eyes hardened. "I think we both know where you should be right now. Your duties as Black Paladin are over. Your duties as Keith are still waiting for you."

Keith shrank into himself. He knew Shiro was right, just as they had all been right. It was unbecoming of him to postpone any further.

"Do not neglect your personal life, Keith, just because you have responsibilities." Shiro's expression softened again. "I don't want you to have regrets after it's too late."

"I know," Keith said earnestly, breath catching in his throat. "I'm sorry about what happened."

"Don't be sorry; just don't let it happen to you." Shiro smiled sadly. "I didn't want to prove Adam right, but he always has to have the last word. He said he wouldn't be here when I came back, and he wasn't. And now I can never tell him he was wrong about me dying."

It was more than that, even Keith could tell. But it wasn't his place to pry; he nodded intently. Everyone opening themselves up to him, just to help him deal with his private life; it still didn't feel like he deserved it, but he couldn't let their good intentions be wasted any longer.

Once again, the moment was ended by Baujal - who had been looking back and forth between the two of them during their conversation - suddenly making the Taujeerian gesture of someone who had stumbled upon a great revelation. "Your private life; you are talking about the broadcast we were all privileged to see. Congratulations are in order. For the union between you and your-"

"We are not supposed to talk about it," Rax snapped out before Keith had a chance to react. "Shay has explained. It is a matter of uttermost secrecy among humans."

"But he spoke of it on intergalactic broadcast," Baujal countered, somehow managing to convey confusion without changing the pitch of their voice, or having any eyes, or even moving the muscles of their face.

"It is the human way," Shay's father said anxiously. "Their actions are evident to all, but it must not be said out loud."

"It sounds very inconvenient." Baujal still sounded confused.

Off to the side, completely ignored by the Balmerans and Baujal as they bickered over the weirdness of humans and their relationships, Shiro watched them with barely concealed exasperation. "If I were you, I would just leave it be and take the chance to run while I can."

"Someone has to explain things properly to them for the sake of all humanity." Keith sent them one last look on his way to the door. "Thanks, Shiro."

Behind him, Shiro sighed.

* * *

James was a man of his word. He had never shirked his duty yet, and he wasn't going to start now. Even though his head was pounding under the assault of what felt like a hundred jackhammers, his mouth tasted like ten different things had died in it, and his body was as unsteady as if he...had just drank his weight in shots the night before. Probably. He didn't remember much of it. Unfortunately, what he did remember included the promise he had made to the other pilots. Hence why James was now stumbling down the hallways of the Atlas towards the Paladins' quarters despite feeling like death warmed over.

He probably should have freshened up before he came, at least brushed his teeth and got his hair in order. But he had woken past noon, way later than he ever had before, and right now there was nothing in James's head except getting to Keith as soon as he could. It already felt like he had wasted the whole morning. He couldn't afford to waste more. So with a foggy head James had jammed himself into the crumpled clothes he had shed on the floor from last night's binge and forced himself to keep his word.

Had his head been clear, James probably wouldn't have come, not like this. And had his head been clear, he wouldn't have followed muscle memory and opened the door to the wolf's den - what had once been the Level 5 rec room, but no longer - instead of continuing on to Keith's suite.

James was hard pressed to pick who was more surprised when he opened the door, himself for finally noticing that he wasn't on the way to Keith's quarters, or the Paladins - minus Keith and including Shiro - sitting around the wolf's large pile of cushions, so big that they took over most of the floor, and looking like they had been trying to interest him with their distractions.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, James desperately trying to restart his brain and work out why he was looking at the last thing he was expecting, and the Paladins looking at him like he was something they peeled off the bottom of their shoe. Or at least that's how Lance, Pidge, and Hunk were looking at him. Shiro and Allura seemed to have more tact, instead just looking at James like he was crazy.

It was the wolf that moved first. Delighted with James's appearance like he had been the last few times, he immediately whooshed from his cushions to the doorway and started nosing at James's pockets. A bit embarrassedly, James realised he actually did have a chunk of jerky in his back jeans pocket and held it out for the wolf to eat. "Hey, boy, how've you been?"

A slightly less disgusted and slightly more shocked look replaced the one the Paladins had before. "I didn't know you were friends," Allura said with forced brightness.

It was harder to explain to the Paladins than Sam that he was just bribing the wolf for teleportation trips someday. "Uh, yeah, just a little."

"That's the kind of jerky Ryan was asking me about," said Hunk with narrowed eyes. "I was wondering why he wanted to know if it was okay for cosmic wolves to eat. He had told me he's a cat person, you know."

James felt himself flushing at the unspoken accusation. "Kinkade was just helping me out."

"By going behind everyone's back?" Pidge asked sharply.

James was way too hungover for this conversation. But he took a deep breath anyway, and tried to stand taller. "At first, yeah, I didn't want Keith involved, this was just something between me and the wolf. But...apparently he said something on an intergalactic broadcast? I should go talk to him, shouldn't I?"

"Are you asking us this?" Once again it was Pidge asking, her eyes serious behind her glasses.

James took another breath. "No. I know I need to talk to him. Do you know where he is?"

The Paladins shared a look James couldn't read, Shiro turning back to him to say, "He went looking for you, actually."

"He's looking for me?" James's voice squeaked unattractively. He whirled around, as if he could see Keith walking down the corridor right now. "Not before I find him!"

"Wait, wait, wait." Lance's shout stopped James in his tracks. "You're going after Keith, right now, like this?" He waved at James, the disgusted look back on his face.

James looked down at himself, realising for the first time the state of his clothes, and hair, and mouth.

Allura sighed. "You should go freshen up first. This is no way to look for an important talk." She _winked_ at him.

"Keith's not going anywhere," Shiro added. "Go make sure you look like a human being again. Then go find him."

"Right." James was overcome with the urge to salute, but stopped himself. This time, when he left, the others didn't try to stop him. But he could hear them talking in soft whispers as the door closed automatically behind him. James tried not to gulp. His mouth wasn't human enough for that yet.

* * *

 **A/N:** Can you imagine being the tech tasked with creating the assessment form for the Balmerans to fill out for the Crystal? What's its battery life? Maximum output? Likelihood of blasting all personnel to another dimension?

Balmerans: It's magic! Whatever you want it to be!

Coming up next: Featuring Krolia, Acxa and the ex-Rebels (with James sulking alone)


	6. Featuring Krolia, Acxa and the ex-Rebels

**A/N** : I can't believe I forgot to thank van for looking over this fic until now. Thanks, and sorry I forgot.

* * *

There was a proverb one of his professors at the Garrison used to say about best laid plans. Keith never really bothered to remember it; for much of his life, he never bothered to plan anything at all. He was starting to regret that now, when nothing about his plans for James had been going well.

He was supposed to have found him by now. They were going to talk it out, clear the air, finally get their shit sorted. And maybe, if what everyone had been saying about James was true, maybe…

But that all depended on Keith not being waylaid by a group of ex-rebel now-coalition members wanting a referee for a 'friendly' match. Keith didn't understand why he was considered impartial enough to referee when one of the participants was his _mother_ , and the other was Acxa.

Unfortunately, Nyma didn't seem interested in his attempt at logic, just nodded her head distractedly and continued to drag Keith by his arm. Considering the last time Keith saw her he was chasing their ship into an asteroid field, it was pretty audacious of her. But she'd apparently been with Pidge and Matt on missions while Keith had still been out with the Blades, so out of respect for his fellow Paladin and Paladin's family member Keith didn't tear out of her grasp even though he desperately wanted to.

The room she led him to was not the main Garrison gym, but the less popular level 2 basement training room in one of the few buildings that had survived the Galra occupation intact. Mats had been laid out already by the time they arrived, and Krolia and Acxa were doing their warm-up stretches. They were also talking amiably to each other as they did so.

"So why is this match happening anyway?" Keith asked, feeling put upon and reluctant to be accommodating.

Krolia sent him a cool look, then said, "I believe they wished to see a demonstration of how the Blades fight. I have agreed to show them. And Axca has agreed to be my assistant."

Acxa shrugged. "It's as much for me as for the rest of them. I want to know how the Blades fight too." She turned to Krolia. "I never really got a chance to know the organisation before Haggar's druids started hunting everyone down. It will be an honour to receive instruction first hand."

There was something earnest in the way she said it. Something that made Keith wonder. He subtly made the Marmora signal for _new recruit?_ with his right hand, hidden by his thigh so that only Krolia could see, but all she did was smile enigmatically in return. Keith scowled. "So I don't actually need to referee anything? Why am I here?"

"Oh no." Krolia gave her head a light shake. "This is very much a real fight. It is only right that someone familiar with the Blades' fighting style should judge. You can help with the explanations too," she added with a smile.

Keith looked at Krolia, Acxa, and Nyma in turn. Something told him he wasn't getting out of this. "Let the games begin," he said drily, then took a step back at their confused expressions and tried again. "You can start now."

Nyma was still turning, one foot off the ground as she too prepared to retire to the edge of the room, when Krolia made her move. She crouched in one smooth movement, left hand shooting out towards Acxa's throat, mimicking the shape of what used to be her knife.

Keith realised too late that he never asked what the terms of the fight was, but it didn't look like weapons were involved so at least he didn't have to worry about people dying. Probably. He had a feeling that making sure none of the onlookers died might also be a part of his referee duties.

While he was dithering, Acxa had leaned back to avoid Krolia's outstretched hand, falling down into a controlled roll that sent her to the right. At the same time, Nyma yelped, gave a start of surprise, and managed to spring behind Keith before she got stuck between them again.

This left Acxa at a disadvantage as the obstacle - Nyma - she had rolled behind was no longer there, but not too much at a disadvantage that she couldn't block Krolia's leg when it swept out towards her. Not letting go of her hold on Krolia's shin, Acxa smirked and pulled it towards her, clearly hoping to take Krolia off balance.

"First lesson," Keith pointed out, "the closer you get to a Blade, the more dangerous it is for you. Melee combat is what we train for."

In demonstration, Krolia braced her weight on the grip Acxa had on her and swung her other leg up to squeeze Acxa's neck between her thighs. With a quick twist of her horns, Axca managed to slip out at the last second and prevented the fight from ending just after it started.

Keith squinted at Krolia's legs, but didn't call for time once he ascertained that they weren't bleeding. If there was any damage, Krolia certainly wasn't acting like it, circling around Acxa's defensive crouch with slow but steady strides.

"Second lesson," Keith said with relish, starting to enjoy the fight despite himself. It was always a thrill watching Krolia fight, especially when he didn't have to worry about her dying at the same time. "Don't try to stay in one place. Blades have great aim when it comes to ranged attacks."

Once again, Krolia acted as the perfect example, the hand she had tucked behind her back during her circling flinging around almost too quick for the eye to see. The soft cloth ball she had hidden flew with unerring accuracy into the middle of Acxa's upper torso, just a tick faster than the forearms she had brought up to shield herself.

"And that's a killing blow," said Keith, raising the arm on Krolia's side up into the air. "Good match."

Acxa looked down at the bright magenta stain the cloth ball had left on her chest and snorted. "Not much of a match. I barely did anything."

"Exactly." Krolia walked up to Keith, turning to face the entire room and raising her voice so they could all hear. "You wanted to know our fighting style better? This is our fighting style. Kill the enemy before they can fight back. Preferably before they even realise we're there. That's how we survived under Zarkon's reign."

Nyma shook her head in disbelief. "That's easy enough to say, but you have to be an amazing fighter to pull it off." She turned to Keith. "What was it you said? Don't engage a Blade in melee because that's their speciality, but don't try to fight them at range because of their accuracy? Doesn't that just leave you with not fighting them at all as the only safe choice?"

Krolia shrugged. "As Haggar's druids demonstrated: not really. As long as you are prepared and don't give the Blade time to prepare, there's always a chance."

"As long as you're a druid, you mean." Ozar said with a wry smile, gathering around the four of them along with the others that had been milling around the edges of the room.

"It would have to be an ambush." The words were said musingly, audible even through the electronic voice. Keith had seen that full-face helmet around Matt before. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever seen her without it.

As if realising how it sounded, Acxa was quick to add, "Not that we're going to be ambushing you or anything."

"If you were, you would have already failed the most important part," Krolia pointed out. "I now know about it; I can now plan for it. What's to say I will be here to _be_ ambushed by you?"

"With that wolf, right?" said a big coalition member with a scar through one eye in excited tones. Keith vaguely remembered hearing Shiro call him Remdax at one point.

"We saw his magnificent teleportation abilities! They look very suited for a quick retreat!" said the smaller figure next to Remdax. Vakala, probably, according to the Shiro of Keith's memories.

"Where is he anyway?" A kid Keith only knew as one of Olia's sons looked around in confusion. "I gave him a toy a while ago. I wonder if he likes it."

"So you're the one who's been giving him all those toys?" Keith said accusingly. "You need to stop that. You're spoiling him!"

"Not just me!" The kid raised his arms in front of him defensively, shrinking back from Keith in a way that made him regret speaking so forcefully. "I was in his room the other day, and there were SO many toys! And cushions! I only gave him one."

Keith stepped back, biting off a sigh. "I need to do something about that room too. One wolf does not need an entire room like that."

"But where will he put all his toys and cushions?" the younger son asked with wide, wobbly eyes.

"He definitely doesn't need all those toys or cushions," Keith tried to say firmly, pretending he couldn't see the scandalised looks on the boys' faces.

"Oh, I didn't realise it was not allowed," Acxa said, making a face Keith had never seen before. It took him a moment to realise she was embarrassed. "I saw one of the Garrison personnel giving him some treats and thought that was what we are supposed to do. I, too, may have given him a traditional training tool for Galran kia. They are very similar in appearance and behaviour to a cosmic wolf, though they have been domesticated millions of decapheobs ago."

" _Who_ was giving him treats?" Keith asked menacingly, trying to ignore the fact that Acxa had just admitted she had given his wolf what amounted to an obedience tool for Galran dogs. To be fair to her, most of the other toys were meant for Earth dogs so it wasn't like there was much difference.

"Oh," Acxa said again, more hesitant than Keith had ever seen her before. "Um, actually, is this the thing I'm not supposed to talk about?" She turned to Krolia as she asked, and Keith suddenly had a terrible premonition.

"It was James again?" Krolia asked with a barely suppressed sigh. "I have seen him passing along treats as well. While it is considered prurient for outsiders to comment on it, I have been reliably informed by Colleen that as Keith's mother I need to have my say."

Keith gave her a wild look, casting his eyes around at the way everyone was hanging on to her every word and wishing he could sink down into the floor.

Krolia seemed to realise the same thing, a sheepish look passing across her face. "In a different room, perhaps," she suggested, laying a firm hand on Keith's elbow and gently dragging him out the door, pointedly ignoring the groans of disappointment from the more brazen onlookers.

Keith let himself be dragged into the next room over. There had been a lot of dragging today, but this was his mother and also it was better than being forced to have the conversation in front of everyone else.

Krolia shut the door to the office behind her but didn't lock it, leaning back against the door and taking several minutes to just stare at Keith with an unreadable look on her face. It left Keith wrongfooted and wondering if she didn't approve of James. It wasn't like she even knew James, she didn't have any right to disapprove of him! But Keith's mounting indignation was quickly dispersed with the long sigh Krolia released. "It was not just Colleen, but the entire Paladin Mothers Association ganged up on me at the last meeting. Saying that I must sort this out with you. But I do not understand what I must sort out. Are you having any difficulties with James that I must resolve? What is it you need of me, Keith? You know I will do whatever you ask of me."

Mentally, Keith cursed the Paladin Mothers Association, which was basically just an informal meetup between Krolia, Colleen, Lance's mother, and Hunk's mother. It was mostly just an excuse for them to expose Krolia to weird Earth things and complain about how their kids were all so busy and had no time for them these days. He had asked, after the first meeting, why the fathers were not allowed to join, and had been told - with a sad crook to Krolia's mouth that still haunted him to this day - that they did not want to bring attention to the fact that Keith had no father to join. Keith had made allowances for them after hearing that, especially since he knew how lonely they must be to finally be so close to their children and yet still unable to see them for more than a few hours each week when they were helping with whatever project each Paladin was currently involved in. He was starting to regret making allowances for them. "What did they tell you?"

Krolia's face softened. "There is no need to be so guarded. They mean well, you know. And were very accommodating when I asked for help with making a harmless projectile that would leave a stain in its wake. Though I think they may be under the impression I wanted it to play with you."

Keith could feel a smile twitch at the corners of his lips. "They probably think you want to play Galran paintball or something." He shifted from his left foot to the right, one thumb rubbing soothingly against the side of his knuckles. He wasn't sure what she wanted him to say.

Krolia raised an arm slowly, smoothing back the hair on Keith's forehead, the soft look still on her face. There was still an unfamiliarity to her movements; there were still many things they were getting used to, even with two years of enforced proximity. "Do you wish for me to deal with this for you? If you do not want to face him yourself, just say the word. I will tell him his advances are not wanted and make sure he stays away from you."

Keith shook his head. "I'll talk to him, I promise. You don't need to worry about it. No one needs to worry about it. I'm sorry that the whole thing got blown so out of proportion that everyone feels like they need to _say_ something." He ended his words with a frustrated huff, but the spikey ball of anxiety that had been tormenting him the past few days was dissipating with every stroke of her hand. "And he hasn't been making advances on me, I don't know why everyone keeps saying that. I know about the way he looks at me, but he always looks at me like that. I...I don't think he thinks about me like that."

Krolia kept stroking his hair, her voice a steady and measured beat. "I will not claim to be an expert on the nuances of human interaction, but the way he looks at you is the way you look at him. I think he feels what you feel for him; whether that is platonic or romantic is up to the two of you. I'm glad to hear that you plan to talk about this." She paused, cocking her head at him mischievously. "Having said that, by advances I was talking about the way he went after your wolf first. There is an old Galran saying, from the days of Daibazaal, that when one is laying siege to the castle, one must first start by conquering the surrounding land."

Keith made a face. "This isn't war."

Krolia smiled wryly. "Romance is often likened to battle in Galran culture. It's true that, as a human, James may not have meant it like that. But showing off how well you get along with the friends and family of the object of your affections is a common way to press your suit. For particularly bloodthirsty Galra, just showing toleration to those you may not have otherwise is as good as a declaration of love."

Keith made another face. "I think James just think he's cool. I doubt he's doing it to impress me."

"Are you impressed?" Krolia looked knowingly at him.

Keith flushed, looking away. "Maybe. It's sweet of him to be so nice."

"He is not 'spoiling him too much'?" Krolia asked in a deliberate echo Keith's earlier words.

Keith flushed even darker. "James wouldn't. He's too strict for that. Not that he doesn't know moderation." He would not have expected the old James to let them leave against orders. But not only did he let them, he went with them.

Krolia smiled. "That's high praise."

Keith shrugged. "He's grown up. I can acknowledge that." _In more ways than one._ "Let me deal with him, mom."

"Alright," said Krolia softly, another unreadable look on her face.

Keith stared at her, wondering what she was thinking. He didn't ask. Not because he was scared of knowing, but because he trusted her whether he knew what she was thinking or not. It didn't matter, because he could trust her to be here no matter what; even if she left, she would come back to him. Maybe he had grown up too.

"I must return, there is more I wish to speak to Acxa about."

"So you really are thinking of recruiting her." Keith frowned at the smug look on Krolia's face. "Is that why you were showing off back there? Ending that fight so quickly and making the Blade of Marmora look so invincible."

Krolia put a finger up to her mouth. "As the humans say, 'No Comment'." She turned back to the training room, twisting around to give Keith another smile and a wave. "I'll see you after work then."

Keith frowned after her in confusion. He was supposed to be looking for James right now, not- the distinct gong of the afternoon bell interrupted his thoughts. Keith checked the time hurriedly, stomach sinking to the soles of his boots when he saw the display showing three in the afternoon. He needed to leave now if he wanted to arrive at his meeting with the Garrison top brass on time.

There was a bitter irony at having to put James off for the sake of duty, one that Keith didn't want to look too closely at.

* * *

It took him much longer than he wanted, but James managed to find a clean change of clothes - without even having to do laundry, although his lack of free time recently meant that he barely had any clean clothes left. He also took a shower as well and brushed his teeth just in case, then utilised enough hair gel to make him look almost put together. He had debated tousling his hair with the gel into something more fashionable, but ultimately decided against it because it was supposed to be a serious conversation. He decided against finding Rizavi and borrowing her concealer for the bags under his eyes for mostly the same reason; the other reason being that she wouldn't have anything in his skin tone anyway.

He was finally ready to talk to Keith, so of course that meant he couldn't find the guy no matter where he looked. James took another look down the very last corridor in the Garrison he had yet to check, then sighed and slid down to rest against the wall.

A quick check at the Keith's schedule - which he had access to through totally legal means of needing to be able to coordinate with Team Voltron for training exercises - told James that he was currently in a meeting with some of the top brass and the Blades of Marmora.

James sighed again, knocking the back of his head against the wall. He should have checked Keith's schedule before going on a wild goose chase through the Garrison. He should have checked Keith's schedule in the first place and not taken so long to get ready. What was even the point of spending so much time on his appearance? It wasn't like Keith would care. It wasn't like Keith had ever cared about James like that.

* * *

 **A/N:** Why did I try to write fighting orz

Also I based the Galran saying on two Japanese proverbs about love that involves removing surrounding obstacles first in combat.

Coming up next: Featuring the Garrison Top Brass, Olia and the Blades (with Kosmo)


	7. Featuring the Garrison, Olia & the BOM

**A/N:** I was going to post this yesterday but I forgot ._.

* * *

As if the universe was rewarding his choice, Keith made it to the meeting just on time. The top brass had mostly arrived, just a few empty seats on the left side of the table signalling that they were still waiting on some people. Kolivan was standing at the front of the room, with a row of masked Blades looming behind him. Olia was there too, surprising Keith and making him surreptitiously check the agenda to make sure he hadn't missed her addition somehow. He hadn't; the agenda still only mentioning a meeting request being granted to Kolivan of the Blades with the Black Paladin in attendance. Looking at the serious expressions on Kolivan and Olia's faces - expected on Kolivan, but less so on Olia in a non-combat situation - Keith mentally prepared himself. They didn't look like they're here to play nice.

"Keith," Olia greeted him with a warm smile and a nod. It might have reassured him, if Keith couldn't see the determined glint in her eyes.

"Hey." Keith nodded back awkwardly as he took a seat next to her on the right side of the table. The man sitting opposite Olia switched from frowning at Kolivan to frowning at Keith instead, pushing the bridge of his oval glasses up in the most threatening manner Keith had seen since the last time Pidge did it.

Luckily, the last of the top brass arrived before Keith had to socialise with anyone, the empty seat next to Oval Spectacles unceremoniously filled by a head of styled brown hair and meticulously trimmed beard.

"So." Oval Spectacles switched his glare back to Kolivan. "Why have you called us here today? And with...these people? I expected, from the request you sent us, that you will be meeting us here alone bar Cadet Keith."

Kolivan's face grew even more foreboding at the mention of Keith's name, but it was Olia who answered. "I was the one who wanted to join when I heard what Kolivan was meeting you here for today. This is something that we are also concerned about as part of the Voltron Coalition."

"And what is this issue you are so concerned with?" snapped the woman sitting next to Trimmed Beard, hair tied back in a bushy ponytail. "Don't beat about the bush."

Kolivan blinked, likely taking a moment to translate the idiom properly, before saying, "Our concern lies in the title you used on the Black Paladin just now. 'Cadet' is, I believe, the title given to the lowest rank at your organisation, is it not?"

The menace from the Blades behind Kolivan increased, if that was possible. And Olia was just barely refraining from growling across the table. The top brass were glaring back with just as much vitriol and Keith was very much regretting wearing the cadet uniform to the meeting. Even though they all wore the cadet uniform out of the battlefield, for the first time, Keith realised it might be sending the wrong signals.

Trimmed Beard was the first to snap, "We have given you a lot of concessions, but _don't_ presume to have a say in Garrison business."

"Keith," Kolivan said with dignity, "is the Black Paladin. The Leader of Voltron. Under all metrics, he is the highest ranked of us all."

Keith quickly opened his mouth. That was definitely not how it worked. But he was interrupted before he could say anything.

"In _your_ organisation, perhaps." Bushy Ponytail's gaze did not waver. "But here in the Garrison, he is a cadet. A cadet who was _expelled_."

"Even less reason for him to wear your uniform then." Ilun snorted from Kolivan's left shoulder.

"Now, now," Iverson piped up nervously from his seat near the end of the table. "Keith _was_ expelled, but as part of the cooperation between Voltron and the Garrison when they first arrived, he had been reinstated. And the same title has been conferred to the Alteans as well. It's more of an honorary role."

"What about Shiro then?" Olia asked. "He doesn't wear the orange uniform. And I've seen people from the Garrison take orders from him."

"Captain Shirogane was already a decorated officer of the Garrison before his capture," the man next to Iverson pointed out, stroking his full white beard. "With his field promotion, he is now ranked quite highly in the Garrison."

"And yet the same courtesy cannot be extended to the Paladins of Voltron?" Kolivan voice held a thread of darkness that made the hair on the back of Keith's neck stand up, and made him want to reach for his blade. He didn't; his instincts told him he wouldn't be able to contain the destruction if he did.

"It is a complicated affair to promote from cadet to full officer," said the man sitting in the middle, the thin whiskers of his moustache twitching as he spoke. "I do not see the need for it. Their ranks in our organisation is an internal affair. The only rank that should matter to you is the one he holds with you."

"It matters," Vrek rumbled from Kolivan's right shoulder. "It matters to the Coalition. The Paladins are our leaders, and if you are to join the Coalition then they are your leaders too."

It was probably the most Keith had ever heard him say, not that he had time to appreciate it when his words made everyone tense up even more. Even Keith, who didn't understand nuance when it kicked him in the face, could tell that Vrek had touched on the true heart of the matter.

"Whether the Garrison, and Earth, will join this Coalition of yours is still under discussion," the last person yet to speak on the Garrison side said coldly, his severe widow's peak serving to make his frown look even sterner.

"That is what we don't understand," Olia cut in, frustration clear in her body language. "How can you still say that after all that Voltron has done for you? And continues to do for all of us?"

"That's the wrong tack to take," Trimmed Beard said acidly. "We could just as easily throw back in your faces how _we_ saved _Voltron_." He paused, eyes skimming disdainfully over the Blades and Olia. "But we won't."

"In fact," Oval Spectacles added, "Voltron should really be under our chain of command. It's being piloted by our cadets, it's a weapon of mass destruction, it needs to be regulated-"

"Is this why you keep them as trainees and refuse grant them a rank that is actually worthy of them?" Kolivan's words drowned out whatever else Oval Spectacles might have said as he took an intimidating step closer to the table.

Olia jumped up at the same time, adding her own snarled words to the accusation. "And is that why the Alteans also suffer under the same title when they are your allies, the last of one of the greatest civilisations of the universe, and should be treated with respect?"

"We do treat them with respect!" Iverson hastily tried to lessen the damage, not that it seemed to be working. "Everything is still under consideration, the Garrison hasn't come to a decision about any of this yet. That's why they're in cadet uniforms. In fact, the MFE pilots are also cadets as well."

"You compare the Paladins of Voltron to your trainee pilots?" Now Ilun was shouting too.

Olia's growl was loud enough to be audible, and the Blades didn't look much better. It was a precarious situation, Keith realised that. Any little thing could set everything off irreparably. It needed a delicate touch to mirror the delicate situation. Unfortunately, Keith wasn't capable of that.

" _Enough_!" Keith slammed his hands down on the table as he stood up, loud enough to talk over them all. "All of you, stop talking."

Everyone stopped, turning to stare at Keith as if just realising he was still in the room.

"Kolivan, Olia?" Keith turned to his right, so he could look them in the eyes. "Thank you for your concern, but this is probably something you should have brought up with us beforehand, instead of going straight to the Garrison. And by us, I don't just mean us the Paladins, but Shiro, Commander Holt, everyone."

Kolivan inclined his head in Keith's direction, probably the closest he was going to come to an apology. That was fine; Keith understood his motives, this wasn't something Kolivan would ever feel the need to apologise for. Olia's fur flattened back down to their usual state as she meekly sat back down in her seat. "I'm sorry, Keith."

"Apology accepted," Keith tried to say as graciously as possible, even though he wasn't sure if this was something Olia needed to apologise for either. He understood her motives as well as Kolivan's. "And you." Keith turned to the other side of the table. "This is definitely something you shouldn't be discussing behind everyone's back. Why isn't the other Paladins invited to this meeting? Why isn't Shiro? Commander Holt?"

"This doesn't concern them," Bushy Ponytail tried to snap, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice and she was leaning just a fraction away from him.

Keith pressed his advantage. "A meeting about the Garrison joining the Coalition? I think it definitely concerns them."

"I thought these aliens requested this meeting to promote you?" Trimmed Beard pointed a thumb rudely over at Kolivan and Olia. "Which, by the way, is also something you should be coming to us about yourself, not try to use your 'allies' to act as your intermediary."

"He didn't come to us, we decided-" Olia shouted desperately, shooting back up.

"You know that's not what this is about!" Keith cut her off, too angry to feel bad about it. "This meeting should never have happened with just us. And I'm calling this meeting adjourned as of this moment." He gave everyone a glare, daring them to say anything. "We're not accomplishing anything like this. We will reopen this discussion at the next meeting, which will include _everyone_. Have I made myself clear?"

Miraculously, neither Kolivan nor Olia looked like they objected, Kolivan even nodding at him with a satisfied smirk. The Garrison side looked less accepting, but they didn't say anything either, and Iverson was also looking at Keith approvingly. It was really weird.

Finally, it was Full Beard who spoke up. "Well, I don't know about everyone, surely only those concerned will need to be present."

"This concerns everyone," Keith said firmly. "You can't make this decision without even letting them know about it. And you just _try_ to keep it a secret."

"Or what, you'll spill the whole thing to the public?" Widow's Peak asked sardonically.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Keith pointed out.

"Is that a threat, cadet?" Oval Spectacles leaned forward threateningly.

"It's a promise," said Keith evenly, raising a hand to stop Kolivan and Olia from rushing forward again. "You're right, we're not fully under your chain of command. We're the Paladins of Voltron, and if we feel necessary, we'll act."

"And how do you decide what is necessary?" Bushy Ponytail asked, voice hard and cold. "Who oversees your decisions, that they are made for the good for the people? Who determines whose people's 'good' you base your decisions on?"

"They are the Paladins of Voltron! Defenders of the Universe! What right do you have to question them?" Olia was quick to respond.

"This Galra Emperor you were fighting," Thin Whiskers said slowly, "the one who was subjugating all of you, he was a Paladin of Voltron too, wasn't he?"

"That's…" Olia faltered, realising that none of the Blades were supporting her.

"You have the Atlas," Keith said, in the same even tone. Anger still simmered below the surface, but he had reached the point beyond that now, where everything gleamed in clear-cut lines and he knew exactly what to say. "If we ever go past the point of no return, the Atlas will be there to stop us. And if you do, we will be there to stop you."

"Even if it's your precious Shiro?" Oval Spectacles asked, ignoring how Iverson jumped conspicuously in his seat.

Keith remembered...a crumbling facility, a desperate plea, and Shiro crouching over him snarling that he had killed everyone. Keith had cut off his arm. "Even if it's Shiro," he said, tamping down the urge to cry. He had stopped Shiro last time, he would do it again if he must. He would save Shiro no matter how many times it took. "And besides," Keith tried to say as lightly as possible, "you have the MFE pilots too."

"That's even worse," Bushy Ponytail said drily. "At least with Captain Shirogane we know the two of you aren't sleeping together."

Keith spluttered. The past splintered and faded away, leaving him back in the real world. One in which everyone was STILL gossiping about him and James.

"You're lucky we don't have anti-fraternization rules," Full Beard said with a laugh.

"I'm not- we aren't-" Keith spluttered some more, though a part of him was thankful the mood had lightened up.

"I thought this was a human thing we're not supposed to mention?" Olia looked between them with a confused crease in her brow.

"Only if you aren't involved. Since this is about our cadets-" As if realising his words might reignite the argument, Thin Whiskers quickly added, "cadet! Griffon is a Garrison cadet so this concern us too. Not that you have anything to worry about," he added with a wink in Keith's direction. "James is a good lad, no one will dream of disapproving."

"It _is_ remarkably good PR," Widow's Peak mused, looking the most relaxed Keith had seen him all meeting.

"There is no PR," Keith said desperately, feeling like he was closing the barn door after all the horses had already found themselves new families in the wild. A part of him still couldn't believe that even the Garrison top brass was talking about this.

"It could be," pointed out Trim Beard.

"It's very romantic," Olia agreed apologetically.

Just five minutes ago they were on the verge of physical violence and now Olia was actually _agreeing_ with the Garrison and their stupid ideas. Keith turned to Iverson, his last hope for salvation.

There was none to be found, Iverson staring back at all of them in a confused daze. "Griffin and- They're a- a _thing_?"

Even Kolivan was looking at Iverson like he was a fool. Keith was too busy feeling depressed that Iverson wouldn't be able to save him from everyone's prurient curiosity to be glad that there was at least one person who hadn't known about him and James.

* * *

James didn't know how long he spent wallowing in self-pity before a whoosh interrupted his thoughts. He raised his head to see the wolf manifesting right in front of him, looking way too smug for someone with their tongue hanging out of their mouth.

"Hey, boy." James smiled weakly, one hand coming up automatically to rub the wolf's ear.

The wolf immediately started nosing at James's pockets, whining piteously when he realised they're all empty.

"Sorry, sorry," said James as he rubbed harder. "I wasn't planning on seeing you again today. It's your owner I'm supposed to be meeting actually." James smiled crookedly. "But considering how things are going, maybe I'm not supposed to find him."

The wolf whined again, butting his nose into James's chest, forcing him back until he had a lapful of cosmic deadweight. Looking into his soulful eyes, James could almost believe that the wolf was trying to tell him something.

"Ignore me, I'm just feeling sorry for myself because things aren't going my way." James sighed. War made you grow up fast, enough to recognise your faults, but not enough to fix them. He buried his face in the soft, otherworldly fur and tried not to scream.

The wolf did not seem to like that very much, pawing at James's head until he raised it again. Taking the chance to slither out of James's lap, the wolf stood in front of him and headbutted him in the chest.

"What is it?" James frowned. "Why am I even asking you? It's not like you're going to answer me." He paused. " _Are_ you going to answer me?"

The wolf continued to say nothing, just whined and headbutted him again.

"Phew. Considering the things I've said to you about Keith, I definitely don't want you to start talking all of a sudden." James's hand rose, unbidden, burying itself in the ruff of the wolf's fur. "If you do know how to talk, and start talking someday, you'll keep my secrets, won't you?"

The wolf licked James's face with a very drooly tongue. He decided to take that as a yes.

"It's not that I'm ashamed of what I told you. I just want to tell him myself. He deserves to hear it from me." James took a deep breath. "I should tell him, shouldn't I? I should tell him right now."

The wolf wuffed at him excitedly as James stood up in a rush. Determination flooded through him, not hampered by the fact that the wolf was dancing around as if he thought James was going to take him on a walk.

"Nothing's going to be resolved if I just sit here and sulk." James told him sternly. "I'm going to find Keith and tell him all the things I've thought about him every time I see him. I'm going to tell him how I really feel even if the entire universe is trying to keep us apart. If he could do it through an intergalactic broadcast seen by everyone, then I can say it to his face." He took another deep breath. "And I'm not even hungover anymore for it."

The wolf nodded back at him, making James wonder if maybe he could talk after all. But before he could ask the wolf again, a wet nose was pressing into his hand and a familiar whoosh was filling his ears and he felt his entire body rip apart at the seams as he was pulled through the cracks of time and space before reforming at the other end.

* * *

 **A/N:** Why did I decide to write this before we learn the top brass's names? Why did I decide to write this in the first place when I don't know anything about the military?

Answer: because who knows when we'll learn their names and the Garrison isn't strictly military so I'm safe and also I hate myself. (Now watch the top brass get names this weekend at NYCC and I'll have to edit this really quickly orz)

Coming up next: Featuring Keith and James. Finally!


	8. Featuring Keith and James

**A/N:** This is probably the longest fic I've ever posted so thanks, Voltron, for that, I guess lol I blame it on the fact that writing an aftermath fic after I binge a season is just what I do now apparently.

Posting now because I don't want to know what NYCC reveals will do to this story so I'm gonna finish posting beforehand.

* * *

The meeting had been over for a while now, cut short after Keith forcibly tabled the issue. He knew he should leave as well, go find James and sort out their issues the way he'd been meaning to all day. But he found himself unable to move from his chair, the reality of the situation hitting him now that there was no one to distract him with jokes about James.

The threats the Garrison made, the aggression the Blades and Olia had shown in return, the events of the meeting kept repeating in his head as Keith stared down at his shaking hands. He was in way over his head. There was no way he could deal with this himself, especially not when his preferred solution of cutting down everything in his way would just make things worse. He needed to talk to the other Paladins, talk to Shiro, Coran, Commander Holt. He needed-

Keith looked up at the sound of Kosmo whooshing in, only to see not just his wolf - but James as well - on all fours on the other side of the room.

"This is worse than being hungover," James moaned into the floor as he dry-heaved.

Keith rushed out of his chair, vaulted over the table, and was at James's side in a second. "Are you okay?" His hand hovered inches from James's shaking back.

James looked up, furrows deepening on his brow. "Am _I_ okay? You're the one who looks sick, and that's saying a lot when I'm the one down on my knees right now." He squinted at Keith some more. "You're not having a relapse or something, are you? I know the medics didn't want you guys taking on so much work so soon when you just got discharged."

"I'm not sick," Keith denied on auto-pilot, one hand coming up to his cheek as if he could feel whatever sickness James saw there. The other hand reached out, faltering when Keith realised he wasn't sure if James would take it.

James extended his own hand without a hint of hesitation, using Keith's support to lever himself back up. "Thanks. Does it really feel like this every time you teleport?"

Keith shrugged, trying to act cool. "You get used to it." He let go of James's hand, leaning back against the table he had just vaulted over as if he could hide his nerves. "Do I really look sick?"

"Yeah." James raised an eyebrow. "You look like shit. What happened?"

He tried to decide how to tell James about...everything, and gave up. Keith wasn't even sure which parts of it James was allowed to know, or whether he cared if he told James something he wasn't allowed to know. "A lot."

James shuffled his feet, looking uncharacteristically tentative. "Is it...is it about your confession in the interview?"

Keith gaped. "What- what confession?"

James had the gall to look at Keith like _he_ just said something weird. "They said you confessed to me, over a live interview, broadcast to most of the known universe." James's face fell slack with horrified realisation. "Were they just fucking with me?"

Keith could feel a blush creeping up his neck. "It wasn't a confession. I wouldn't do that to you." He licked his lips; now was the time, he had been trying to create this moment all day. "If I was to confess to you, it'd be to your face, in private, with just the two of us."

James looked at him consideringly. He made a show of glancing around them, stopping on the _bad boy who is getting a real talking to after this is all over_ , before turning back to Keith. "So are we alone enough for you now?"

Keith made a shooing gesture, not taking his eyes off James. There was a whine that was _completely and utterly deserved_ , and then the whoosh that said they were now alone for good. "Yeah."

"Actually," James cut in, still looking tentative, "there's something I want to say first."

Keith let his mouth snap shut, sending James a look that he hoped conveyed the message that Keith was waiting but he needed to hurry up and get on with it.

"I just want you to know…" James faltered, gaze falling away to the floor. "I never apologised. About that time when we were kids and I mouthed off at you about your parents."

Keith waited a moment. There was no way that could be it. But James didn't say anything more. "That's it? That's what you interrupted me for? That's all you wanted to say?"

"It's been eating at me!" James said, gesturing dramatically. "You were going to be expelled! I didn't want you expelled. Not when I was the one in the wrong." His eyes stared beseechingly at Keith. This was not the conversation Keith was expecting them to have when the conversation started. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should have disobeyed orders or punched me, but I shouldn't have brought up your parents no matter how frustrating you were. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, I guess," Keith mumbled, feeling wrongfooted. He couldn't believe Hunk had been right all along. "What kind of mood is this? How am I supposed to confess to you now?"

James leaned forward, right into Keith's personal space. "I'll do it for you. As thanks for accepting my apology." He stopped just inches from Keith's face. "I'm in love with you, Keith. Since before you got expelled for real. You always flew the fastest, burned the brightest...you were the best. You still are the best pilot, and now you have a giant robot to prove it. Even when we were kids, I couldn't help noticing you. Maybe I was in love with you even then."

What could Keith say to that? He leaned forward too, pulling down on James's collar and pressing his mouth to James's in a bruising kiss that would hopefully convey everything Keith wanted to say to him. "You were such a little shit back then. Always picking on me, riling me up. And then I come back and you're all grown up, and a good leader, and...you helped us find Hunk's family when you didn't have to. You could have alerted the Garrison, but you went against orders to smuggle us out."

James was blushing heavily by this point. He waited for Keith to finish, then pushed Keith's face into his chest as if to stop him from saying anything more. "You don't seem to have any trouble confessing to me, you liar," he mumbled into Keith's hair.

Keith took a quiet breath buried in the warm crevasses of James's shirt. He could smell the Garrison regulation shampoo and cologne James must have used - because of course James used the Garrison regulation shampoo and cologne. He was probably the only person Keith knew who did. He tightened his hands on James's collar, pulling him in for a quick kiss. "You did it first."

James gave him a crooked smile, visibly buoyed up again. "Guess I did." With renewed confidence, he brought his head in for another kiss, and slid a warm hand along Keith's ribs, dangerously close to his belt buckle.

Keith didn't even think of stopping him, burying his hands into James's hair so he could bring him back for yet another kiss, and another, and one more all the while James's clever hands undid Keith's belt and peeled back his jacket, revealing the non-regulation grey t-shirt underneath.

James had just plunged both hands under Keith's shirt, just above the boundary of his waistband when a very unwelcome whoosh filled the air and a very unwelcome weight pushed himself between the two of them, whining piteously as he pawed at Keith's boots.

"Kosmo!" Keith shouted, tearing his mouth away from James's, already missing the feeling of James's tongue in his mouth. "Bad boy! Go away!"

Kosmo whined louder, pushing his entire head into Keith's hip. But Keith was too busy taking in James's aghast expression to pay attention. "You named him _Kosmo_?"

"Not me!" Keith snapped defensively. "The others did that! I was going to wait for him to tell me his name."

"But you just used it," James pointed out, face still screwed up as if there was something wrong with calling him Kosmo.

Keith suddenly found himself very protective of the name, even though he hadn't liked it when Hunk suggested it. "He answers to that now. Besides, what's wrong with Kosmo?"

But James never got a chance to answer, the brisk sound of footsteps drawing closer shutting them both up. Keith looked at James, at his mussed hair where Keith had ran his hands through it, at the wrinkles in his shirt where Keith had grabbed too hard, at the bruised red of his lips where Keith had given in to the urge to nibble on them. And Keith himself didn't look any better, belt on the floor, jacket wide open, shirt rucked up to his chin. It would be all too obvious to anyone who came in what they had been doing, in a Garrison meeting room no less.

James stared back at him in a dull panic, hands twitching from his hair to Keith's shirt, not stopping long enough to put either to rights. Keith ignored his consternation, one hand latching on to James's bicep, the other gesturing for Kosmo to come closer. "Let's get out of here, boy. Where's a safe place without anyone else around?"

Finally breaking out of his stupor, James's free hand reached down to Kosmo's ruff, right next to where Keith had laid his. "To my MFE fighter, there's definitely not going to be anyone inside there."

Almost before he finished talking, Kosmo was whooshing them out of the meeting room, and Keith found himself losing his balance as the table he had been leaning against turned into the back seat of the fighter. Before he had a chance to regain his balance, James followed him down, falling on top of Keith with a pained groan. Only Kosmo escaped the crush, dancing out of the way and flopping down on the floor next to them.

"It actually isn't as bad as last time," James was saying as he opened his eyes, only to freeze as he realised that their little spill had left James sprawling over Keith with both arms braced against the headrest, trapping Keith's head between them, and one knee keeping Keith's legs spread out under him.

Considering what they had been doing just now, Keith didn't understand how James still thought this situation was worth blushing over, but he was still too caught up on what they were talking about before to remark on it. "You didn't answer, what's wrong with Kosmo?"

"Seriously? You still on about that?" James shook his head, resigned. "It's not a name I would have expected you to call him, that's all. I've known you for ten years, Keith, I know how you think, give me some credit." He cocked his head. "Except it's only seven years for you or something?"

"Not...really," Keith said reluctantly; all the weird time shit was confusing, and Keith had actually experienced it. "More like nine years for me, seven for the others. We all got caught up in the explosion that put us behind the rest of the universe by three years, but I was also in the Quantum Abyss for two years while only a few weeks or so passed for everyone else."

"So…" James's face scrunched up again. "You're one year younger than me now?"

"Pretty much." Keith shrugged. "Why? Does it make you feel bad, Mr. Cradle Robber?"

"Now you're just mocking me." James growled, sending a thrill down Keith's spine that had him rolling his hips up against James.

"What are you going to do about it?" Keith tilted his chin up, hands fisting into James's hair again to coax his head down. "Come on, I can take whatever you dish out. Trust me, it's not even going to come close to what I've had to deal with today."

But James refused to follow, stiffening at Keith's words. "What did you have to deal with today? You never answered _my_ question. What had you looking like that?"

Keith sighed, leaning back. "Just a shitty meeting with the top brass."

"Wait," asked James nervously, "is this something I'm allowed to know?"

"You asked!" Keith snapped.

"You're right, I did." Expression firming into resolve, James looked Keith in the eyes and asked again, "So what happened?"

"The Garrison is trying to play power games," Keith said, reluctantly loosening his grip on the back of James's head, sliding down his arms until Keith was gripping lightly at James's elbows as they hovered on either side of his head.

James frowned. "They don't want to acknowledge Voltron's authority."

"Well, according to them, we're just a bunch of cadets, after all," said Keith sarcastically. "You already knew?"

"They have a habit of doing that," James admitted. "We're still cadets too. I've been reliably informed that there's no time in war to promote us properly."

"You believe that?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Are you asking if I doubt my superiors?" James raised his eyebrow back. "Well, even if it is true, it is _also_ very convenient for the Garrison to keep us all as cadets. I'm not blind, I can see the advantages it has for the Garrison, advantages that outweigh all the excuses they have to make to everyone about not promoting us."

Keith sighed again, running his hands over his face. "I should go find Shiro and the others," he mumbled into his palms. "We need to discuss this, figure out what we're going to do about it. They almost came to blows with the Blades and Olia today. It might not take much before actual fighting breaks out if everyone feels as strongly as they do." He remembered the way the Olkari had reacted. It had seemed so lighthearted then, when Keith knew James hadn't done anything to warrant it; now, the ferocity they had displayed and what it could be a harbinger of only made him worry.

"Of course they feel strongly." James took one hand off the headrest, pushing Keith's hand gently out of the way so he could lay it against Keith's cheek and smooth his thumb tenderly along one cheekbone. "You're Voltron, our saviour. There are plenty of people in the Garrison who'll fight for your honour. Not just your Coalition."

"You MFE pilots are pretty heroic too," Keith murmured, other hand dropping from his face as well so he could smooth both of them down James's chest. "You deserve more than being stuck as a cadet because it suits the Garrison to keep you under their thumb."

"Don't talk about the Garrison like that," James said, but his heart wasn't in it, lowering his face so he could press a kiss against the cheek he had been stroking.

Keith turned his head away, face twisted into a regretful frown, the kiss falling against his scar instead. "I mean it. I should go. We need to talk about this; it's important."

James gave him a considering look, bringing his hand back to Keith's cheek; this time to trace the bags under his eyes. "The Garrison isn't going to do anything right this moment. You should rest. Stay here, just a bit longer."

Keith huffed a short laugh against his mouth. "I can't believe _you_ are telling me to skip out on my responsibilities."

"You mentioned it yourself," James pointed out, pausing to press a kiss to Keith's lips. "I helped you guys to get to the Galra work camp against orders. Because Hunk needed that. And you need this. Not necessarily with me here, but you need to rest. Stop forcing yourself to be the leader for a moment, and take a break from that responsibility." He paused again, bestowing another kiss to Keith's lips. "As one leader to another, trust me when I say it'll be okay, trust your teammates that even if something does come up they can deal with it. The world isn't going to fall into chaos just because you took a break. And no one who matters is going to fault you for not being there every single moment of the day." Another pause, another kiss that made Keith's toes curl. "Don't think I haven't noticed you rushing around trying to do everything. It's okay if you don't."

Keith looked at him, eyes lidded and dark with promise. "Yeah, you really have grown up."

James stared at him, cogs turning visibly. The smile on his face grew, turning cocky in a way that rang alarm bells in Keith's head. "Wanna see where else I've grown up?"

"That's a terrible line," said Keith flatly. "What happened to the pure little boy who didn't know what innuendo meant?"

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you," James groused. "I was a grade schooler, come on. Like you said, I've grown up."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Don't think that works on me." But he pressed his body closer, his legs slotting around James suggestively, at odds with the way he brushed his thumb gently under James's eye in return. "Alright. I'll stay. Just a little longer."

"Good," James said fiercely, pressing his mouth firmly to Keith's and licking his way inside. His hands dove back under Keith's shirt, pressing against the warm skin there and plastering Keith to his front.

Just as James was about to push a hand down his pants, Keith pulled away, flattening a hand on James's chest to make him wait. Pointing off to the side, Keith snapped his fingers briskly and said, " _Out_."

There was a short whine that made James look like he only just remembered Kosmo was still in here with them, then the whoosh that told them they were finally alone in the cockpit.

"Now, where were we?" Keith grinned up impishly, his own hands landing on James's belt and making short work of them.

James blinked back, body tense under Keith's fingers until he finally processed what just happened and relaxed against Keith's hands. He knocked his forehead lightly against Keith's, smiling down soppily. "You should smile more. You look good like that. You should always look like that."

"Like what?" Keith asked, uncomfortable with the sappy turn, hands stilling where they had been pushing James's pants off his hips.

"Like you're happy," James whispered, as if he was telling him a secret. "You should always look happy. Let me make you happy, Keith."

"Okay," Keith couldn't help but whisper back, eyes falling shut as James leaned in for another kiss. "I'll hold you to that."

* * *

 **A/N:** Meanwhile Kosmo lies down on the ground right next to James's MFE fighter because he is a Good Boy, alerting everyone to just where James and Keith had disappeared to, without Keith's belt which had been left lying on the floor of the meeting room...

In the sequel that will probably never be written, Keith and James do become distracted with their new relationship and the Garrison does try to use their relationship for a PR boost...in a disastrous way that forces tensions to boil over. What Voltron and the Atlas should be doing is investigating the Altean recently found inside the creature they defeated, but they're too busy trying to keep everyone from fighting each other and feeling guilty over their part in instigating it instead. Meanwhile, Haggar is finally ready to make her move and our heroes are more divided than ever *insert dun dun dun*


End file.
